Obama Citizenship

From Georgia: Georgia Constitutional Convention and the FairTax, School Vouchers, Proof of Citizenship to Vote

By Phil

For those of us in Georgia, our General Assembly is currently in session (may the good Lord help us) and is in the process of considering some pretty interesting legislation.

First, State Rep. Bob Smith (R-Watkinsville [Oconee County]) has introduced language for a yet-to-be-titled bill calling for a State constitutional convention to overhaul the Georgia Constitution in an effort to revamp our tax system (from OnlineAthens.com), something with which even some Democrats agree…

An Oconee County state lawmaker wants to scrap state and local tax systems and start over.

State Rep. Bob Smith, R-Watkinsville, introduced a bill Friday calling for the first constitutional convention in Georgia since 1877. Convention delegates would overhaul the entire state tax code, including income, sales and property taxes, conservation easements, tax loopholes and exemptions.

“This is the ultimate tax reform,” Smith said. “Everything is on the table.”

Smith said he introduced House Bill 250 because he keeps hearing complaints from constituents who are fed up with their taxes, but lawmakers’ attempts at major tax reform have failed. Specifically, he cited House Speaker Glenn Richardson’s failed effort last year to replace property taxes that fund parks, police, schools and other local government functions with new sales taxes collected by the state and distributed to cities, counties and school districts.

 

Here’s the Morning Orders video:

Could it be possible that this would dovetail nicely with the FairTax? That’s exactly what State Rep. Doug Holt (R-Social Circle [Walton County]) is proposing via HR 137, which would urge Congress to repeal the 16th Amendment, the part of the Constitution allowing Congress to tax income.

GeorgiaLegislativeWatch.com is also reporting that State Sen. Eric Johnson (R), who is seeking the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor in 2010, has introduced legislation for open enrollment in State schools:

A Republican state senator wants Georgia to become the first state in the nation to offer vouchers to all school children.

Sen. Eric Johnson is introducing legislation on Monday that would allow parents to use roughly $5,000 in tax dollars to send their children to any public private school in the state willing to accept the child.

Johnson predicts that only about 5 percent of parents would use the vouchers.

The proposal faces a fight from Georgia Democrats, who?ve said a voucher program siphons money away from struggling public schools. Johnson says parents should be able to have a say in their child?s education.

Here’s the presser for SB 90; Atlanta Journal-Constitution coverage.

Georgia’s Secretary of State Karen Handel is backing HB 139, which would require Georgians to prove their citizenship in order to be able to vote in an election. Here’s her presser.

-Phil

Full post as published by The Right Side of Life on February 03, 2009 (boomark / email).