Sonny Perdue – A Life Well Lived

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The young man listened attentively to his elder offering wise advice. “If you ever hope to have a future in politics, don’t take this appointment.”  

The advisor was referring to an appointment to the Houston County Planning and Zoning Board. The young man was Sonny Perdue. 

Sonny accepted the offer anyway. Thus began a journey in public service that would take him to the gold dome of Georgia’s capitol and a cabinet office in the nation’s capitol. 

I am proud to have been part of that journey with Sonny for the past three decades. Here are just a few recollections from that walk together. 

Sonny and I were both raised in the tiny unincorporated town of Bonaire, Georgia. Although we were from the same town, since Sonny was a little older than I, we didn’t run in the same circles so I never really knew him until he was serving as a state senator. 

I started taking my son, Doug, to the state capitol every year from the time he was 5 years old, to watch the legislature in session.  In 1995 we had just moved to Albany, Georgia. 

On my first visit that year, I looked up my state senator, Mark Taylor and asked Mark if he would introduce me to Sonny Perdue. Mark said that Sonny was the senate majority leader and was one of the most respected members of the Senate. 

Mark Taylor also made a prophetic remark. He said that one day Sonny Perdue would be governor. Little did Mark Taylor know how those words would one day come back to haunt him. 

When I met Sonny and told him who I was, his first comment was about my mother. He paid her one of the highest compliments anyone could receive when he said, “Miss Earline is the conscience of Bonaire.”

Several years prior to that meeting, Sonny Perdue took that appointment to serve on the Planning and Zoning Board. Instead of killing any political future, it got the attention of county leaders. 

When the long-serving state senator Ed Barker decided not to run again, county leaders approached Sonny and asked him to run. Once again, Sonny accepted the offer and was elected to the state senate. 

Sonny quickly rose to a leadership position. His fellow senators elected him as President pro tem, the highest office next to Lieutenant Governor.  

In 1998, Sonny stood at a personal and political crossroads. He was a member of the Democrat party. Because of his position in the Senate, he was also seen as a leader in the party.

There was a problem. The Democrat party was shifting in its platform. There were fewer and fewer conservative planks. 

It was becoming a balancing act and Sonny was growing weary of playing the game. He eventually made a decision that would cost him dearly politically, but, like a modern day Daniel in the lion’s den, allow him to stand on his deeply held convictions. 

Before he qualified to run for re-election in 1998, Sonny changed political parties and ran as a Republican. The people in his district readily re-elected him. 

The problem he faced was that the Democrats were the majority party in the state senate. President pro tem was not only a peer-related position,  it was primarily a politically-related position. 

On top of that, staunch Democrat Mark Taylor was elected as Lieutenant Governor. Mark was going to exact payment for Sonny switching parties. 

The new Lieutenant Governor, controlled committee assignments and office space. Sonny lost his spacious President pro tem office in the capitol. 

Lieutenant. Governor Taylor moved him to insignificant committees. His new office space was a tiny suite of offices across the street shared with several other senators. 

Moses spent forty years in the wilderness of the Middle East. Sonny spent four years in the wilderness of Georgia politics. 

That would all change in 2002. After four years in the minority party in the state senate, Sonny was encouraged by fellow Republicans to run for governor. 

On election night, 2002, Sonny Perdue did what no one thought was possible. He was elected as the first Republican governor of Georgia since reconstruction. 

Sonny was easily re-elected in 2006, beating Mark Taylor in a decisive landslide victory. After serving his second four year term as governor, Sonny went back to his business. 

When Donald Trump was elected as President in 2016, it was time for Sonny to return to public service. This time as a member of President Trump’s cabinet as US Secretary of Agriculture. 

In 2021, Sonny returned to his business and private life again. Once again, he would be called upon to serve the people – this time as Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. 

Last week, Sonny announced that it was time to retire. He will be stepping down as Chancellor when the Board of Regents selects a new Chancellor. 

Sonny Perdue has left a lasting legacy on the people of Georgia and our nation. In a twist of irony, the position on the Houston County Planning and Zoning Board did not ruin his future in politics.  Sonny Perdue never lost a political race. 

Sonny’s family is continuing his legacy in the two areas that influence his life, faith and public service. His son, Jim, is pastor of the 2nd Baptist Church of Warner Robins where Sonny is a member and faithfully attends. His son, Dan, is the Chairman of the Houston County Board of Commissioners. 

Sonny Perdue is returning to private life. His has been a life that is well lived. One day he will hear those blessed words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)

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If Christ Has Not Been Raised

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Easter Sunday is the holy day that cuts through the fog of avoidance with a piercing truth that confronts every one of us. The literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ sets the Christian faith in a class of its own. 

When the Apostle Paul arrived in Corinth, he said he proclaimed one message: that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day. Paul wrote those words only 20–25 years after the crucifixion. 

Think about your own life 25 years ago. George W. Bush was President. Terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The United States invaded Iraq. 

No one has to convince you those events happened. You lived them. You felt them. They are not distant history—they are memory.That is how close Paul was to the resurrection. If we can remember 9/11, they could remember the empty tomb. If we can remember Katrina, they could remember Calvary. Twenty years is not long enough for truth to fade—but it is long enough for truth to spread like fire. And that is exactly what the resurrection did.

The Resurrection in History

The message of the risen Christ exploded across the ancient world while eyewitnesses were still alive—friends and enemies alike. Anyone could investigate the claims. Anyone could challenge them. Yet the movement grew in the very city where Jesus was crucified.

The resurrection did not emerge in the shadows. It was proclaimed in the streets.The resurrection of Jesus Christ turned the world upside down. It changed the course of history. It remains the bottom line, the tip of the spear, the source of life, energy, and abundance in the Christian faith.

The Resurrection in Scripture

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul throws down the gauntlet of a challenge that still echoes today:“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV) This is not poetic language. It is a line drawn in the sand. 

The Bible does not present the resurrection as a metaphor, a myth, or the memory of a good teacher living on in His followers. Scripture declares plainly:- Jesus literally died on the cross.- He was buried.- On the third day He literally rose from the dead.- He was seen by hundreds.The resurrection is not a doctrine to be softened or reimagined. It is the foundation of the Christian faith.

The Resurrection and You

So here is the question:Do you believe the resurrection with the same confidence that you believe 9/11 happened?  You do not consider September 11 a myth. You do not treat Hurricane Katrina as legend. You know they happened.The power, hope, and assurance of your faith rest on your view of the resurrection. Do you believe it took place just as the Scriptures describe?

A Final Word

The most important question you will ever face comes down to this one event in history. What you decide about the resurrection will shape not only your faith but your eternity. 

The risen Christ does not ask you to ignore your doubts or silence your questions—He invites you to come and see. He invites you to trust the One who conquered death, who still transforms lives, and who offers forgiveness, restoration, and new life to all who believe. 

The tomb is empty. The Savior lives. And He stands ready for you to come to Him today.

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A Reasoned Response to an Attack on Rick Jackson

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It is open season for political attacks. I normally ignore them and move on.

There is one political attack on Rick Jackson that has generated numerous questions from my friends so I wanted to give a reasoned response to set the record straight.

In a nutshell, Rick Jackson is accused of doing business with Planned Parenthood, doing transgender surgeries, and providing hormone care for transgender care in prisons. These claims are false.

There is a job board specifically for medical providers called LocumTenens. This is an open job board that allows anyone to post jobs for the medical provider community. It functions like zip recruiter.

Jackson’s health care uses this job board. So do numerous other organizations and companies in the medical field.

Rick Jackson has nothing to do with these other companies that post jobs. He does not review resumes, conduct interviews, make job offers, or manage the job posting or the applicants in any way.

These attacks on Rick Jackson make a broad leap from posting of jobs dealing with Planned Parenthood or transgender related medical procedures to Rick Jackson and his company. There is no connection – none.

To say that Rick Jackson had anything to do with these jobs is to fabricate a story out of thin air. It would be like saying that because Walmart sold Styrofoam cups to Planned Parenthood for their coffee room and you also bought Styrofoam cups for your kitchen, that you supported Planned Parenthood.

The matter of transgenderism and Planned Parenthood is a subject that strikes deep. It creates a visceral reaction that does not wait on an answer or explanation.

That is why it is necessary for me to help ratchet down the immediate reaction and provide a reasoned response. There is no basis and there is no truth in these claims that attempt to connect Rick Jackson to Planned Parenthood and transgender procedures and care.

On the contrary, Rick Jackson is firmly pro-life. That is borne out by the fruit of his life, not by political hit pieces.

In 2008,  Rick partnered with an organization called FaithBridge and helped it become one of Georgia’s largest Christ-centered private child-placing agencies.  He also formed the Jackson Family Foundation to help foster children who are transitioning out of foster care.

I fully recognize how sensitive this subject is. You may have said something or posted something on social media when you first heard it. I humbly ask you to take another look at the hit piece through the lens of a reasoned response.

Whether or not you support Rick Jackson for Governor is not the issue here. What is at issue is the character of a good man and how a political hit piece misrepresents his life.

Rick Jackson is not only a good man and a good businessman. He is a great candidate and will make a great governor for Georgia. That is why, without hesitation, I ask you for your vote for Rick Jackson for Governor.

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Powerful Biography in a Campaign Song

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Rick Jackson rolled out a video the other day for his campaign.  Songs and jingles for campaigns are not unusual. Many candidates come up with something to plant the name of the candidate firmly in the listener’s mind.

This song did that and more. It told a powerful story of the struggles of a child. It told how that child overcame those overwhelming odds to make a life that impacts thousands of lives today.

The song walks you through the first time that Rick drove a car. He could barely see over the dashboard to drive his drunk and passed out mother home. He told of nights at home with literally an empty cupboard.

He was labeled and laughed at and bullied. He was told that he was white trash.

At five years old something led him to walk to a downtown church where he found refuge and a sense of peace. When the world knocked him down, he found the strength to get up and get up again and again and again to keep fighting against the labeling, name calling, bullying, and being told he would never amount to anything.

He tracked his job career from shoeshine boy, to a paper route, to vacuum cleaner salesman, to the Chief Executive of a multibillion dollar company today. He determined to learn life’s valuable lessons even in the lowliest jobs.

Through his experience, he honed the value of one-on-one relationships and a servant’s heart. Rather than accepting the label of a white trash loser, he looked to win and win big.

He was shaped along the way by loving foster parents and later in the United Methodist Children’s Home. “From the hard road to the high road,” he learned and applied what it took to win big.

He related in his song servanthood and putting America first. When Covid hit, he made Georgia the priority for finding medical personnel to fight the deadly disease. He could have easily increased his bottom line profits by turning his business toward New York – but he stuck with Georgia. (He was not running for and had no thought of running for Governor back then.)

China, had a monopoly on medicine production. When they tried to squeeze America, Rick Jackson  bought an American medicine manufacturer and turned it around to keep some medicine production on American soil.

With all of his millions, he never forgot where he came from. He built a successful organization to help foster children when they aged out of foster care.

He sees this run for Governor of Georgia as a drive that calls for strength and clarity. He demonstrates both in his support for law enforcement, families, and the working man.

He is running to win and win big. I like the way he puts it when he says he doesn’t want to be governor. He wants to be a good governor.

Listen to the song here on YouTube. It will move you as much as any patriotic song you’ve ever heard.

If you want to meet Rick in person, he will be making a couple of stops in Southwest Georgia on Friday, March 6 in Blakely and Thomasville. Click on the invites below for more information.

Blakely Rally
Thomasville Meet and Greet
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Will the Democrats Stand for Anything?

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It was a simple request. Stand up if you agree. Was it so hard to do?

“The first duty of the American government is to protect its citizens, not illegal immigrants.” If you agree, stand up.

Some Democrats had stood, reluctantly, several times during the State of the Union speech. Some refused to stand for anything.

But it was this point in the speech. Every American in the House chambers should have been on their feet. He did not ask them to applaud. He did not ask them to cheer. He just asked them to stand.

There were many memorable moments in the two-hour State of the Union address. There were cheers and applause for the USA Hockey team.

Tears came to my eyes at the reunion of the Venezuelan political prisoner with his niece. They were clearly emotional as well. Trump then told the pair to go enjoy themselves.

One after another the President introduced military heroes and gave them awards. Two received the highest military honor possible, the Congressional Medal of Honor, right on the spot.

He recognized victims of crimes by illegal immigrants to emphasize why he slammed the border shut He explained that that is why he is now aggressively going after hardened criminals who entered our nation illegally.

It was during the speech that he made the simple request to stand. Democrats sat on their hands. It makes me wonder if the Democrats will stand for anything.

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Make Them Filibuster

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune has an opportunity to pass a measure that 85% of Americans support, the SAVE America Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility). Democrats in the Senate have declared the bill dead on arrival as they know that Republicans cannot get 60 votes to stop a filibuster.

But we need understand the filibuster and the Senate rules. It is not as simple as Democrats want to make it out to be.

Over the years the filibuster has morphed into a matter as simple as handing a note to the clerk of the Senate stating that there is a filibuster on a particular vote. When that happens, all action on the vote comes to a halt and the Senate pivots over to work on other matters.

That was not the original meaning of filibuster. The original practice has been so watered down that today there are two names for the filibuster. The “silent” filibuster is what we are familiar with today. One side just “says filibuster” and that’s it.

The other name is the “standing” or “talking” filibuster. In short, the standing or talking filibuster requires one side to keep talking until one of three things happen: (1) 60 Senators vote to end debate; (2) one side gives up; or (3) the two-times rule is invoked, and the minority runs out of speakers.

Congressman Chip Roy sent a “dear colleague” letter to the Senators explaining how they could pass the SAVE act with a simple majority. (A copy of the letter is at the end of this article.) It will not be easy, but it is possible if our Republican senators will discipline themselves and, as Nike says, “just do it.”

In short, Republicans would have to vote with a simple majority to table any amendment that Democrats bring up and keep tabling amendments. Democrats, on the other hand, would have to keep someone talking the full time. The Senate rules only allow a person to speak twice on any one bill or amendment.

Even if the Democrats stayed fully in lockstep to filibuster, they would eventually come to a point of having no one left to debate and Republicans could end debate and vote on the bill. Sound complicated? It is, but it would be worth it.

Congressman Roy closed his letter with a worst-case scenario. “Democrats filibuster to death an 85% issue like Voter ID and citizen voting in front of the entire country.”

Best case, the bill passes and we have real voter ID for national elections. Senate Republicans, this is a no-brainer. All you need is the discipline to make them filibuster.

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Why Vote Early in Senate District 18

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If you live in Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Monroe, Peach, or Upson counties, then you may be in Senate District 18. There is a special election runoff that puts Steve McNeel, a Republican against a Democrat in a head-to-head contest.

I encourage you to go vote early. You may ask why. That’s a good question and I’ll give you two quick answers.

First, no one is promised tomorrow. You considere voting to be an important patriotic duty. You probably vote Republican. This ballot has a Republican and a Democrat. There is nothing that will come up between now and Tuesday, February 17 that is going to change your mind. So, there is no reason to put it off.

David and Cynthia Sumrall voting early.

Second, the Republican party, GA Republican Senate Caucus, Steve McNeel’s campaign, and other conservative organizations are working hard to get out all votes. On election day, volunteers will be calling, texting, and reaching out to get voters to the polls. If you vote early, you won’t need a call, and these conservative organizations can focus their attention on those who have not already voted.

We can debate the issue of early and absentee voting. I personally think that there should be one day for voting in person and absentee voting be allowed only for a stated reason. While I hold that opinion, the fact remains that the playing field and rules we operate under allow early voting and no-excuse absentee.

Be assured, the competition is using the early and absentee vote. If we do not use it strategically, then we will lose. This is especially true when there are three weeks of early voting.

I ask you to do two things. Both are simple and cost nothing.

First, go vote early. Get your vote in and take someone with you to go vote.

Second, if you are on social media, then post a photo of you wearing your, “I voted” sticker. You influence others and when they see you, they are more likely to go vote. I’m proud to post two photos of Republican leaders in Senate District 18. Dave Sumrall is the former Republican Party Chairman of Bibb County and Wade Yoder is a Peach County Commissioner.

It is especially important in this election because we are in a special election cycle for one race in a runoff. Let’s face it, going to vote is not high on the news and conversation list right now. That is why, like Dave Sumrall and Wade Yoder, you need to lead by example and let others see you voting early.

So, now that you have read this, go vote. If you don’t get it done early, then by all means get to your polling place on February 17 and, if you live in the district, vote for Steven McNeel, Republican in Senate District 18.

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Rick Jackson – He is for Real

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Rick Jackson showed up in the Republican Georgia gubernatorial race like a tornado swooping into Southwest Georgia. I checked him out. He is for real.

You need to spend a little time and take a close look at this candidate. I have included the campaign introduction video (3 1/2 minutes) and Jackson’s first speech as a candidate (25 minutes). Take a few minutes to listen to him.

Let me share with you what I learned from listening to him and checking him out with people who know him. The title of this article sums it up best – he is for real.

It is not only what he says, but how he says it. I watched his speech and listened to him carefully. I saw a firm, resolute, calm strength and character that developed over years of testing and trials that most of us will never experience.

Rick Jackson grew up in the projects and foster homes. His life was influenced by living with a Christian family and later in the United Methodist Children’s Home.

An article in TwoTen Magazine from ten years ago told his story. When this article was written a decade ago, he was not running for anything. He did not need anything. He just had a committment to help those who had no voice, children in foster care.

That article told how, at five years old, he walked to Sunday School at a church in downtown Atlanta. Living in a foster home, he experienced a family praying before a meal. It was so foreign to him that he could not process the love and faith of that family.

In his first speech, he said that his company’s main cultural value is “Others First.” I checked the Best Places to Work website and found that 90% of his nearly 2500 employees said that it is a great place to work compared to 57% at a typical US based company.

At one point in the speech when he spoke of his addressing a senate committee about foster care, you could see the powerful conviction welling up in him. It caused him to pause for a moment to catch his composure. That kind of reaction cannot be manufactured. He summed up his Others First values:

“The system forgets the people who don’t have money, power, privilege or fame, not those who need it. Right then, I committed to do everything I could to help those without a voice, without a lobbyist, without a checkbook to make their voice heard.”

He did not have to say that he felt a calling to run for Governor. It was evident in his whole being as he spoke. He laid out his vision to make Georgia the the most affordable state in the nation.

His commitment is to freeze property taxes and slash the income tax by 50% in four years. In eight years he strives to eliminate the income tax all together.

He wants to freeze tuition, room and board for state higher education. He wants to tackle the cost of home ownership.

He addresses the “woke nonsense and complete insanity. “ He says that if Christianity cannot be taught then neither will this ideology find a place in Georgia’s public schools.

There won’t be any boys playing in girls sports or in the girls bathrooms and locker rooms. “There are two genders and they are God-given.” He went farther to say that anyone pushing this ideology will not be just stopped but will be held accountable.

He says that there will not be a stronger supporter of the 2nd amendment. From his own personal experience growing up, he is a passionate supporter of law enforcement. I like the way he said that he will make Georgia the worst place in the nation for criminals.

I went beyond what I could find in research and checked with some of those who know him. One commented, “I know of his genuine faith.”

Rick Jackson is for real. I will be proud to give him my vote and have him as my governor. Check him out and I believe you will too.

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The FBI Search Warrant – See it Here

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Last Week the FBI executed a search warrant at the Fulton County Election Office.  About 700 boxes of ballots were seized along with voter rolls, voting machine tapes, absentee ballot envelopes, and other documents and evidence from the 2020 Presidential election. 

I wondered just what kind of evidence of what kind of crime the FBI had in mind when they searched the facilities. I thought a Goggle search would easily show the search warrant but I was wrong. 

The search warrant was mentioned in many news reports but I could not find a copy of the search warrant itself. Finally I found a copy of the search warrant on Facebook posted by Mark Davis on January 29. I have attached a copy of the warrant at the end of this article. 

Apparently the affidavit and the warrant were sealed. Fulton County filed action in federal court to order the return of the items and had to enter the search warrant itself as evidence which effectively unsealed the warrant. The affidavit which gave justification for the search to the judge signing the warrant is still under seal. 

Attachment B lists the items for which the FBI was searching. It includes:

* All physical ballots from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County; including, but not limited to: absentee ballots to include envelopes; advanced voting ballots, provisional ballots; in-person election day ballots; emergency ballots; damaged or destroyed ballots; duplicated ballots; or any other ballot that was used to cast a vote; 

* All tabulator tapes for every voting machine used in Fulton County; including but not limited to; zero tapes, opening tapes, closing tapes and any other tabulator tape printed from a voting machine utilized during the 2020 General Election in Fulton County;

* All ballot images produced during the original ballot count beginning on November 3, 2020, the recount, and any other ballot images that were created from ballot scanning from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County;

* All voter rolls from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County from absentee, early voting, in person, and any other voter roll that indicates voters: to whom an absentee ballot was issued, from whom an absentee ballot was received, or who participated in advance voting or election day voting. 

This is an extensive list. I can understand the reports of 700 boxes carted out to the awaiting vehicles. 

Democrats exploded with rage over the search warrant. Secretary of State Raffensperger continues with his mantra that Georgia has the most secure elections in the country and that there were three recounts that proved Joe Biden won. 

My issue with the recounts is that all they were doing was counting the same ballots over and over. The count wasn’t the problem. 

My question points more toward the reconciliation of votes cast to the absentee ballot envelopes and voter sign-in sheets. In other words, were the ballot boxes “stuffed” with fraudulent ballots. In a mere recount, a fraudulent ballot would be counted the same as a valid ballot. 

I remember that Suzi Voyles, one of the recount observers, raised an issue over seeing multiple ballots in unfolded, pristine condition, with the ballot marking appearing to be the same image on every ballot. The process should have been halted then and there to have a closer examination of the ballots to determine if they were original ballots or not. That did not happen so now those questioned ballots are somewhere in one of those 700 boxes of ballots. 

The issue of Fulton County handling of the 2020 election was put under the spotlight last December when the Georgia Elections Board finally considered a complaint that was originally filed with the Secretary of State in 2022. One can only imagine why Secretary Raffensperger’s office took nearly three years to bring the complaint before the State Elections Board. 

In this case, Fulton County admitted to certifying 315,000 early vote ballots without signatures on the machine tapes. The response from Raffensperger’s office was the same claim that Georgia has the most secure elections in the country. He brushed off the unsigned tapes as a clerical error. 

Irregularities such as the ones reported shout for a thorough, trusted, impartial review. Based on the items secured, the FBI search will be looking at all aspects of the 2020 ballot handling to include the proper documentation of ballot handling. They rightly should make a thorough accounting and reconciliation.

I look forward to learning the results of the search. Hopefully it won’t be another five years.

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I’m With Blake – Kill the State Income Tax

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The legislature is in session, and this session brings calls for killing taxes. The House is looking at killing the homestead property tax and the Senate is looking to kill the state income tax.

Florida killed the state income tax years ago and now is looking to eliminate property taxes. We should aspire to both eventually. This article focuses on the state income tax.

Senator Blake Tillery, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee is leading the charge to kill the tax. He was appointed to Chair the Special Committee to Eliminate the Income Tax. The Committee released its report as the General Assembly convened.

Bottom Line

The report begins with a bold “literally boldfaced, headline sized print” summary statement:

“We recommend making the first $50,000 for individuals and $100,000 for joint filers completely tax free beginning in 2027. We also recommend reducing the state income tax rate for all other families and businesses. These proposals completely eliminate the state income tax on 2/3 of all working Georgians while drastically reducing the tax burden on everyone else.”

As the Chairman, Blake Tillery wrote an editorial for the Atlanta Journal Constitution to support the bold plan. Underscoring the aggressive plan, Tillery wrote that the committee’s charge was not to debate whether or not eliminating the income tax was a good idea. The charge was “to figure out how to do it responsibility.”

Plenty of politicians make bold campaign promises about cutting taxes. Chairman Tillery and the committee did not want to just talk. Their proposal is like the old Nike shoe slogan, “Just do it.”

What this means is that on day one of the new tax year, 2/3 of Georgia families would see an immediate elimination of the state income tax. That means zero state income tax deductions from their take home pay. It also means that the business they work for has less compliance burden in withholding and sending taxes to the state Department of Revenue.

How We “Pay for It”

When I mention eliminating the state income tax to some of my friends, the first question out of their mouths is often, “how are you going to pay for it?” That question itself belies an understanding that taxes come from a source that belongs to the government rather than to the individual. (That’s an article for another day)

Some liberal think tanks put out horror talking points stating that the sales tax would have to be increased to 12% to make up the difference. The committee faced those kinds of misrepresentations in its second meeting.

The committee unanimously and on a bi-partisan basis approved a motion that, “any elimination of the income tax wouldn’t accompany new state taxes on groceries, property, or gas.”

So how could the state adjust to the loss of state income taxes that are eliminated for 2/3 of Georgians? We do it by continuing the bold, conservative, fiscal policies that have led to strong economic growth and record surpluses each year.

We also do it by eliminating special interest tax breaks. In his editorial Chairman Tillery noted that the complexities of income taxes are an invitation to carve-outs and special treatment for special interest groups. Who ultimately pays for these carve-outs? You do.

The committee report puts it this way, “when special interests pay less, everyone else pays more.” Eliminating the income tax for everyone focuses on the average Georgia family as the special interest that is really important.

Prioritize and Execute – Just Do It

The committee has done its work. For my policy wonk friends, you can read the full report here: Georgia Senate Special Committee on the Elimination of Georgia’s Income Tax Final Report and Recommendations

The committee has acted responsibly by holding four meetings across the state and receiving input from numerous sources. I am impressed that the 22 page report concludes with a one sentence recommendation,

“Pass legislation this year to eliminate Georgia’s personal income tax on the first $50,000 a year for single filers and $100,000 per year for married couples filing jointly, effective January 1, 2027.”

The recommendation is positvely blunt with action, timeliness, and impact:

“Pass legislation.”

“This year.”

“To eliminate.”

Time for talking is past. Now it is the time to act. Just do it.

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