Charles Shiflett Column November 27, 2005

Tales of Politics and Money

Since we all probably blew through some cash while gobbling up those sale priced goodies this
weekend, I thought I'd stay in money mode with the column this week.

• Multi-member County Commission: One component of a proposed multi-member board is whether
board members would be elected from within districts or countywide. The earliest a new board could
be up for election would be 2008, at which point Bartow County's population will be nearing 100,000.

By comparison, a state house district only contains approximately 45,000 people. A candidate in a
competitive state rep's race can easily spend from $50,000 to $150,000.

By electing commissioners countywide, only the wealthy or those bankrolled by some group would be
able to afford to mount a credible campaign. Not exactly the way to open up local government to the
average citizen.

• Multi-member Commission Part 2: Bartow already has a county manager so there will be no extra
cash needed to maintain that position. Just take the monies currently allocated to covering
Commissioner Brown's salary and benefits and divide that sum among the five or seven part-time
members of the new county commission. No increased taxpayer funds required.

• Walking Around Money: Republican State Rep. Sue Burmeister of Augusta is under attack for the
gall to mention the unmentionable. When speaking to U.S. Justice Department officials about
Georgia's Voter ID law, she commented that the law wouldn't negatively affect black voters in her area
because they only vote when they're paid.

Well, that's not exactly what she said, because her comments were taken out of context. Of course
the catcalls of racism came pouring forth anyway from Democrats and race pimps. Burmeister may
have been clumsy in how she phrased her comments, but there is more than a grain of truth in what
she was trying to say.

It's been common knowledge that for decades, Democrat political operatives have doled out what is
referred to as “walking around money” to black political activists here in the Peach State - especially in
metro urban areas.

These black leaders pocket their share and then use the rest to “motivate” black voters to show up at
the polls and vote a straight Democrat ticket. Sometimes the money is given directly to voters after
they cast their ballots or it may be given to a charity such as a food bank, whose operator would then
“motivate” those who benefit from the charity to vote a certain way.

Several years ago a few bright Georgia Republicans deduced that if “walking around money” would
work for Democrats attempting to gain black votes, then it should work for Republicans too. A nice
chunk of change was funneled to a prominent black activist, but the results were never realized… just
some bad press for the GOP. Thankfully I wasn't involved in that debacle.

• Your Tax Dollars At Work: In the spirit of bi-partisanship, U.S. Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and
Tom Harkin (D-IA) attempted to bypass congressional rules and have government buildings named
after themselves.

Specter is the chairman and Harkin is the ranking Democrat member of the Labor/Health and Human
Services Conference Committee. Tucked away in the committee appropriations report was their effort
at self-promotion. Fortunately for taxpayers, Congressional rules prevent naming a public work after a
sitting member of the senate or house and the effort was shot down.

• Big Oil: Politicians just love to take shots at the big oil companies… after all it scores points with the
common folks back home who are still reeling from high energy prices. They ought to hang their heads
in shame instead.

Anyone with a pulse has known for decades that the U.S. is dependent on foreign oil and our economy
and national security are at risk as a result. So what have our illustrious politicos done about the
problem? Almost nothing!

No new refineries have been built in this country in roughly three decades. What about nuclear power?
Same story… roughly 30 years. New environmentally safe methods of extracting oil should have
opened the door to further oil extraction off the Florida and California coasts. Nope! And whatever
became of the effort to drill in ANWR? Just lots of talk, but no action.

• Big Oil Part 2: While Congress decries the profits made by the oil companies, you can probably
guess who really rakes in the dough when you fill up at the pump. Why that would be the taxman.

According to a study by the Tax Foundation, we pay an average of 45.9 cents in state and federal
taxes on every gallon of gasoline we purchase. For 2004, that amounted to more than $54 billion, plus
another $9 billion for taxes on diesel fuel. It's easy to see why there is such a high level of cynicism
directed at our elected officials

I've got wrap this up and get out of here. There are still too may bargains out there in area stores and
I'm running out of daylight. Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend.