Brian Bond, DNC Director of Constituency Outreach, and Jamie Citron, Obama For America LGBT Vote Coordinator and LGBT Finance Director, [...]]]> Georgia – The LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Georgia will welcome key members of the national party and the Obama campaign to discuss the crucial role that the gay community will have in the 2012 elections.

Brian Bond, DNC Director of Constituency Outreach, and Jamie Citron, Obama For America LGBT Vote Coordinator and LGBT Finance Director, will speak at a workshop designed to educate and activate voters for what promises to be a competitive campaign.

“Brian and Jamie will discuss the way forward for Georgia’s gay community,” said LGBT Caucus Chair Jim Taflinger. “Our party is inclusive, and we want to make sure that people of all types can find their place within the campaign to help President Obama’s re-election.”

The event is scheduled for 11 am, Saturday March 3 at the Democratic Party of Georgia Headquarters at 763 Trabert Avenue, NW in Atlanta. Prior to the event, the LGBT Caucus will hold an informative workshop on how to run as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention at 10 am. All are welcome to attend.

It is important that we stand together for local control and public education. This is the OFFICIAL position of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.

We must [...]]]> State House Democrats stand against  HR 1162 and  promote HR 1335, a Constitutional Amendment aimed at creating an alternate authorizer for charter schools without damaging Georgia’s public school system.

It is important that we stand together for local control and public education. This is the OFFICIAL position of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.

We must encourage Georgia State House Representatives to vote NO on HR 1162 and promote HR 1335.

Please contact your State Representative today and ask them to vote NO on HR 1162.

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To find your State Representative, click here and enter your address.

Once you are given a list of your elected officials, click on the person(s) listed under “House of Representatives”. This will take you to your Representative’s contact information.

Please CALL and EMAIL your Representative TODAY and tell them to vote NO on HR 1162.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HR 1162 AND HR 1135

HISTORY
Last Wednesday, HR 1162 failed to gain the 2/3 majority (120 votes) necessary to pass a Constitutional Amendment. The vote was 110 to 62.

On Thursday, the House voted by a simple majority to reconsider this action, meaning that supporters of the resolution can ask for it to be voted on again at a later date. This second vote on HR 1162 may come at any time.

House Democrats oppose HR 1162 because the scope of the proposed Constitutional Amendment goes far beyond the stated purpose of allowing the state to create charter schools and fund them. HR 1335 is the proposed Democratic alternative to this resolution.

DETAILS ABOUT HR 1162 AND HR 1135

HR 1162 IS NOT ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS: The proposed amendment would enable political appointees to override the decisions of local school boards and local voters in order to re-direct tax funds to any “special school” the state creates or designates. Charter schools are only one type of special school, and there is a better way to solve the charter school issue without giving up local control or expanding the reach of government in education.

HR 1162 MAKES TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION CONSTITUTIONAL: HR 1162 enables the General Assembly to re-direct tax funds to any type of special school over the objections of local boards and local taxpayers. The funds would be spent by political appointees, who have no obligation to respect the wishes of voters. There is not an appeals process, no referendum and no proof that a school was denied authorization or is even necessary.

GIVES THE STATE UNPRECEDENTED, UNCHECKED POWER: HR 1162 would give the General Assembly unlimited power to identify what constitutes a “special school” under the Georgia Constitution. The amendment does not define or limit the term “special schools.” It also prohibits the Supreme Court from reviewing state use of these new powers by using such a broad term.

BALLOT QUESTION MISLEADS VOTERS: The ballot measure language mischaracterizes the current state of Georgia law: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities?”

Locally approved charter schools are currently constitutional and this amendment is not necessary to confirm their status. Voters may believe that they are deciding whether any local charter schools may continue to operate, rather than whether the state will be permitted to create its own competing system of local charter schools.

Despite the ballot language “upon the request of local communities,” the local community will have no say in the state creation of “special schools” including charter schools.

SUCH A BROAD AMENDMENT IS NOT NECESSARY: The Supreme Court expressly limited their decision to the constitutionality of the Charter Commission Act. Nothing in the Court’s opinion questioned the State’s power to set standards and regulations for K-12 education or conditions for local receipt of state financial assistance.

HR 1335 IS A BETTER OPTION: HR 1335 does not include the ambiguous term of “special schools” and focuses only on charter schools.

Clear: HR 1335 puts charter schools squarely in the Constitution, removing any doubt about the state’s support of this educational option. This will help the Race to the Top initiative and with foundations. It also reaffirms the state’s role in education policy.

Concise: The amendment directly addresses the goals of HB 881 and the Supreme Court decision by creating a method for the state to act as an alternative authorizer.

Fair: The amendment limits funding of state-created charter schools to state-provided funds. Removes the risk of a power-grab or financial grab from local taxpayers.

Honest: The ballot language is direct, simple and straightforward: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to authorize the state to create and fund state charter schools when such schools have been denied by a local board of education?”

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To find your State Representative, click here and enter your address.

Once you are given a list of your elected officials, click on the person(s) listed under “House of Representatives”. This will take you to your Representative’s contact information.

Please CALL and EMAIL your Representative TODAY and tell them to vote NO on HR 1162.

To further these goals, we announce the Truth Team, a new national effort to reach two million grassroots supporters and over 30,000 Georgians. Be a part of [...]]]> The Democratic Party of Georgia, in conjunction with Obama for America, will promote the President’s achievements, respond to attacks on his record and hold the Republican nominee accountable.

To further these goals, we announce the Truth Team, a new national effort to reach two million grassroots supporters and over 30,000 Georgians. Be a part of the Truth Team and help spread the facts about the President’s record- and respond to the inevitable and baseless Republican attacks.

The program will be housed at BarackObama.com/TruthTeam, with individual websites – KeepingHisWord.com, KeepingGOPHonest.com, and AttackWatch.com – serving as quick, comprehensive resources to help set the record straight. Designed to put responsibility for spreading the truth in the hands of the President’s supporters, the websites contain videos and information on the President’s record, and fact checks on the GOP claims about the President and themselves.

The Republican candidates are spending a huge amount of time attacking President Obama, which is no surprise. Instead of basing their attacks on our differences of opinion, they have chosen to run on false claims about his record.

We’ve had 23 consecutive months of job growth under the President’s watch, but Mitt Romney says he’s made the recession “worse.” Rick Santorum says that the President’s health reform, which was based on Republican proposals and expands access only to private insurance, is a government takeover of health care.

While the newfound power of outside groups and Republican Super PACs, any untruth cam be amplified and exaggerated with the help of millions and millions of dollars.

However, the Obama for America campaign has relied on grassroots supporters to spread the truth, and the Truth Teams in Georgia will build on and expand this effort to make sure that when voters go to the polls in November, they know the truth.

Be a part of our movement. Join the Truth Team today.

Georgia faces significant challenges, but not one is more important than our job crisis.

We’ve lost more than 300,000 jobs, third-highest in the nation, since the beginning of the Great Recession. Georgia has one [...]]]> Below is Democratic Party of Georgia Chairman Mike Berlon’s Op-Ed in the Atlanta Journal Constitution printed January 29, 2012.

Georgia faces significant challenges, but not one is more important than our job crisis.

We’ve lost more than 300,000 jobs, third-highest in the nation, since the beginning of the Great Recession. Georgia has one of the highest rates of bankruptcy filings and foreclosures. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia has the third-highest poverty rate and, every single month for more than four years, Georgia’s unemployment rate has exceeded the national average.

When people worry about their jobs, they have to worry about their homes, their children’s education — everyone’s future is impacted by the lack of available jobs in our state.

Our leaders believe the solution is to cut corporate taxes and give additional tax credits to big Wall Street businesses, yet Georgia already has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the country. While other states are adding jobs and growing their economies, businesses avoid us and turn to our neighbors like Tennessee and Florida.

Georgia deserves better.

The real solution to the state’s job crisis is not lowering an already scant tax rate. Let’s instead concentrate on things that create a pro-business environment. We need better transportation options to move our goods from manufacture to market, and a better-educated workforce to attract more companies.

We need to convince business leaders that if they open a new plant in our state, their kids, and their workers’ kids, will attend a good school and achieve the American dream.

Instead of laying off our teachers, let’s respect them. They deserve better pay; our students deserve better outcomes. Instead of unacceptably low graduation rates, we should challenge our students with better schools and teachers who are valued, not discouraged.

Instead of combining colleges to save money, we should invigorate them to attract the best and brightest from other states, while keeping our own best students close to home. Instead of misguided HOT lanes on I-85 that restrict an entire lane of highway from commuters, we should explore better mass transportation so that moving around the city is trouble-free, not troublesome. Bold leadership created Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, now the busiest airport in the nation.

Our state can do big things. We’ve done them before. However, we need strong leadership that attacks our problems head-on, not stumbles with tired policies that don’t work. Our HOPE scholarship and pre-K program were once a model for all states to follow.

Last year, both of these programs were cut to provide tax incentives to companies that still aren’t hiring in Georgia.

It’s been a lost decade for the average Georgia resident. It’s time to find a real solution to these problems. There is a difference between being outstanding and standing out.

Let’s pay our teachers, renew our schools, respect our students and fix our roads. Let’s put Georgia back to work. Let’s make the real choices that will make us outstanding again.

 

“Several lawsuits were recently filed against President Obama questioning whether he is an American citizen in an attempt to remove him from the Georgia primary ballot.  Despite the [...]]]> Georgia –Democratic Party of Georgia Chairman Mike Berlon releases the following statement on tomorrow’s administrative hearing to address President Obama’s inclusion on the Georgia Presidential primary ballot:

“Several lawsuits were recently filed against President Obama questioning whether he is an American citizen in an attempt to remove him from the Georgia primary ballot.  Despite the fact that these issues have been thoroughly litigated, a hearing has been scheduled in these cases for Thursday, January 26, 2012.  The Democratic Party of Georgia is not a party to any of these lawsuits.

“This afternoon we received a letter from counsel for the President directed to the Georgia Secretary of State asking him to intervene in these lawsuits and bring them to a halt, because it is well established that there is no issue here – a fact validated time and again by courts in this country.

“In the letter, counsel also indicated that they had no interest in continuing to appear or participate further in the litigation and have suspended their involvement.

“We respect the President’s position and urge the Secretary of State to bring this matter to a conclusion.  We also believe that each political party has the absolute legal right to determine who should appear on their primary and general election ballots according to their own rules without interference from outside parties.

“In light of these developments the Democratic Party of Georgia has no plans to continue to be involved in these baseless cases.  Furthermore the Democratic Party of Georgia will cooperate with the President and his campaign in any way requested to make sure that his name appears on the primary and general election ballots for 2012.”

“President Obama’s State of the Union address reminded us of why the American people chose him as our leader. His blueprint for a job-creating economy that is built to last – one built on American manufacturing, American energy, [...]]]> Democratic Party of Georgia Chairman Mike Berlon releases the following statement on last night’s State of the Union Address:

“President Obama’s State of the Union address reminded us of why the American people chose him as our leader. His blueprint for a job-creating economy that is built to last – one built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values- is one that Georgia can fully support.

“This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class and those trying to reach it. We must build a nation where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.

“The issue is fairness and the President articulated this theme clearly.

“When the average middle-class Georgian pays a higher tax rate than someone making $50 million a year, the rules are out-of-balance.  We fully support the President’s plan, and I felt he gave an inspirational and substantive State of the Union address.”

“Mitt Romney has spent years refusing to release his tax returns – and though he finally agreed to do so today, he offered [...]]]> Georgia – Today, after years of resistance, Mitt Romney has released limited information about his finances.  In response, Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Mike Berlon released the following statement:

“Mitt Romney has spent years refusing to release his tax returns – and though he finally agreed to do so today, he offered just one full year of returns.   During the vetting process to become John McCain’s running mate, Romney released 23 years of tax returns. Why doesn’t Mitt Romney believe that Americans should see the full picture?

“This decision flies in the face of precedent set by previous presidential candidates – Romney’s father released 12 years of returns, President George W. Bush released returns back to 1991, and President Obama released eight years of tax returns during the 2008 campaign.

“Today, Romney failed to release sufficient information for the American people to be able to evaluate his investments, see exactly how he acquired his mass fortune during his time as a corporate raider for Bain Capital, and determine whether he has any financial conflicts that could cloud his judgment.  For instance, he closed a Swiss investment account only because an advisor was worried it might cause political problems should it stay open.  And Romney has made a fortune using offshore investments, from Swiss bank accounts to investments in the Caymans to Bermuda to Luxembourg to Ireland – all famous tax havens that cost American taxpayers about $100 billion a year in lost revenue.  But today’s returns don’t show how much in U.S. taxes Romney is avoiding by keeping his money in these foreign accounts – what else is he hiding from voters?

“Clearly, Romney doesn’t want us to know what releasing multiple full years of tax returns would reveal: he doesn’t believe we all have a responsibility to do our fair share, and he wants to continue to exploit the loopholes, special deductions and other gimmicks that he and other extraordinarily wealthy Americans use to pay a lower tax rate than working and middle-class families.

“With these priorities, it’s no surprise that Romney’s tax plan would cut his own 2013 taxes by nearly half.  That’s where Romney stands – and that’s exactly why he still refused to fully come clean with the American people today.”