How I am Voting

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Donald Cole

First, let me thank everyone who asked how we did through the hurricane. We were very fortunate. No trees down and no damage to our house. A light pole and part of our fence blew down.

Many others in Southwest Georgia were not as fortunate and many are still without power. Farmers were hit hard. Continue to pray for those impacted by Hurrican Michael.

Early voting is going on for the next two weeks. Your vote is vital in this election and I encourage early voting. There is no reason to risk something happening that could keep you from voting so go vote.

I have been asked about ballot questions. In a nutshell, I voted yes for the Constitutional amendments and the referendum questions.

Amendment 1 – Creates the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund – This is basically a designated fund using 80% of sales tax revenues collected from sporting goods stores to fund outdoor stewardship programs. Currently the funds go to the general fund and then the legislature goes through the appropriation process. This designates the funds for the specific purpose. In order for the legislature to use the funds for any other purpose, it must do so specifically. I vote yes.

Amendment 2 – State-Wide Business Court – my initial leaning was no. Currently the Superior Courts handle business related cases along with criminal, family law, and others. This establishes a court specifically for business related matters. Judges are appointed for 5 year terms and the legislature establishes the jurisdiction of the courts. Business law issues and litigations are complex and would benefit from courts focusing on business issues. I vote Yes.

Amendment 3 – Forest Land Conservation Use Property for Ad Valorem Taxation Purposes. This amendment allows the legislature to establish a new category of property for the purposes of property taxes. The new category would be known as “qualified timberland property.” The owner of qualified timberland property would enter into a conservation agreement. The value of timber of on the property would still be taxed at fair market value. I vote Yes.

Amendment 4 – Victim Rights – This constitutional amendment is currently in general law. The amendment would make it more difficult for the legislature to change the current victim rights law. The amendment focuses on the rights of victims of crimes to, upon request, be notified of scheduled court proceedings, arrest or release of an accused perpetrator, the right to be heard in court proceedings, and the right to not be excluded from court proceedings. This is already in law and the amendment elevates it to a state constitutional right. I vote Yes.

Amendment 5 – Authorizing Referendum for a Sales and Use Tax for Education. This amendment is focused on counties that have multiple school districts. A single district or combination of districts having a majority of students in the county may vote to call for a referendum for a 1 percent sales tax for education. If the referendum passes, the taxes collected would be distributed to all school districts based on a per student basis unless the school districts in the county reached a different agreement. This amendment provides for a simple formula for calling for a referendum and distributing the funds. I vote Yes.

Referendum Issue 1 – Homestead Exemption for Certain Municipalities. This referendum applies only to the City of Atlanta. My first reaction was an automatic No to anything for the City of Atlanta. However, this referendum could more accurately be called the Atlanta Home Owner Protection Act. It is about the home owners in the City of Atlanta, not the politicians. So, to my Atlanta friends, take note of this and remember before you criticize rural Georgia. If this passes, it was those of us in rural Georgia that had your back as a homeowner in Atlanta. I vote Yes.

Referendum Issue 2 – Exemption of Ad Valorem for Non Profit Homes for Mentally Disabled. Homes for the mentally disabled owned by individuals or non-profit organizations are currently exempt from property taxes. This referendum question focuses on financing for construction or renovation. This allows a private home for mentally disabled that is already exempt to maintain its exemption when the ownership is placed in an LLC for the purposes of financing improvements in the home. After improvements are completed and paid, the home would revert back to the private ownership. Without approval of this referendum question, the LLC would not be eligible for the exemption and be taxed. This for all practical purposes would force closure of the home and require the mentally disabled occupants to move out of their home to another location. This referendum issue allows a broader capability of financing. I vote Yes.

That is how I voted on these questions. My primary focus in this election is to defeat every Democrat and elect every Republican. So, if you have not voted – Go Vote Republican.

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Democrat Houses of Cards Are About to Collapse

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Donald Cole

Monday, September 17, 2018 will be recorded as a bad day for Democrats. They have built houses of cards that are about to collapse.

First, the accusation of Brett Kavanaugh. It began to break before the weekend from Senator Dianne Feinstein of a serious report of an anonymous incident by a person who wished to remain anonymous.

Senator Feinstein had the information since July but never said anything about it until the hearings were over. That alone proves her disingenuous intent.

Your Vote Counts

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Donald Cole

Your vote counts. It is so easy on election day to get busy or have something unexpected come up and, at the end of the day, you realize that you forgot to vote. Then you rationalize and tell yourself that it doesn’t really make any difference anyway.

Two candidates for Board of Education, District 3, Lanier County, Georgia will quickly tell you differently. In the Republican Primary held on May 22, three candidates ran for School Board, District 3. Phillip Connell fell just 9 votes short of winning without a runoff.

I do not live in Lanier County but I do know Phillip Connell. If I lived there Phillip would have received my vote.

In the July 24 runoff, when all the votes were cast, the result was a tie – 170 votes each. So they go another round on August 21, but there is yet another cliff hanger.

One of the candidates, JJ Strickland, is an attorney. He has filed a lawsuit “demanding” an injunction to stop the 2nd run-off and give one of his supporters an opportunity to cast a second vote in the runoff. Here is what happened.

On election day, Tyler Westlake, went to vote. He received a ballot for School Board District 4. Tyler Westlake lives in District 3. When he looked at his the ballot, the candidates for District 3 were not on the ballot.

I know you are thinking that the problem should be easily resolved. He simply had to call an election official and point out that he did not see the candidates from his district.

The election official could void the erroneous ballot and give a correct ballot, or at least a provisional ballot, until they can straighten out the matter of which ballot the voter should receive. Election officials will tell you that these questions come up in every election.

The voting machine itself has a large notice on the screen before the ballot is cast. After making all selections and before casting the ballot, there is a final large screen to make a final review before casting the vote. At the very top of the screen, in large letters is this notice:

Photo of Voting Machine with Notice

“Carefully read all instructions before proceeding. If you have any questions, DO NOT touch anything: contact a poll worker.”

Step 3 of the instructions clearly states, “Your vote is FINAL when Cast Ballot is touched.”

Westlake proceeded to cast his vote. It was only after he voted that he told the election official of the mistake.

Instead of contacting a poll worker, as soon as he saw that District 3 candidates were not on the ballot, Mr. Westlake ignored all the instructions and went ahead and voted. After he cast his ballot, he told the poll worker that received the wrong ballot.

Even with paper ballot voting, the rule is always clear: After you drop your ballot in the ballot box, the vote is final. It is too late to change your mind. It is too late to ask questions. All questions, concerns, doubts, are to be resolved before pushing the button on a voting machine, or releasing the ballot to fall into the ballot box.

Until that moment, a voter can change as often as he or she wants. But once the ballot is cast, it is cast and that vote is final.

Mr. Strickland’s lawsuit is a desperate Hail Mary pass. I suspect that there are more than a few voters in Lanier Board of Education District 3 who view this as grasping for some technicality instead of honestly doing the work to ask every voter for his or her vote.

Common sense and bold faced instructions are clear, “DO NOT touch anything: contact a poll worker.” One cannot change the rules after the game has been played. This sounds more like Democrats in 2000 and hanging chads or Hillary blaming the Russians than it does a Republican Primary in South Georgia.

From a political point, this stunt is an extremely unwise move. I predict that it will hurt Strickland in the 2nd runoff.

Lanier County is a small close-knit community. It is one thing for a person to choose to not vote in an election. Tell that same person that a candidate is asking a judge to take away his or her right to vote and “thems fightin words.”

Lawsuits like this are why lawyers are not held in high esteem in the first place. This “demand” to take the election away from the people and have a judge give Strickland’s supporter a second vote is ludicrous. This kind of thing only adds to the greasy reputation of the legal profession.

There will be a hearing on August 16 to make a determination. Strickland has already said that if the judge rules against him, he intends to file an appeal. Yet, another unwise move on his part. In the mean time, early voting has started and the election is still on for August 21.

I suspect that more than a few voters who voted for Strickland in the primary and first runoff, will not be voting for him in this one. There are probably a few who did not vote in either of the previous elections but will go vote in this one just to vote against Strickland. Voters do not like politicians who who try to find a technical loophole that robs them of their right to vote.

This November, you will have your opportunity to vote. Go vote. Your vote counts.

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I Voted – Here’s How

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Donald Cole

I am often asked for my opinion on various races. When those I respect and trust tell me that they support a particular candidate, it helps me make my decision as well.

Party primaries and run-off elections can get so competitive that in the final days, the strategy appears to be mutual assured destruction. The heated rhetoric can get so strong that friendships are strained.

The Republican Governor’s primary is at the boiling point. I do not intend to turn up the heat. People for whom I have the greatest respect have endorsed both Republicans. The fact is that in a couple of weeks, one of the two in each race will be our nominee. I fully intend to support all our nominees.

Right now we have a responsibility to select which candidates will be our nominees. I voted on the first day of early voting. Here is how I voted.

For Secretary of State, I voted for Brad Raffensperger in the run-off. My original choice was Josh McKoon but Josh did not make it to the runoff. Brad was my second choice. He owns a small business so he knows about government regulations and how they impact small business. He is endorsed by Georgia Right to Life, has an A rating from the NRA, and from the National Federation of Independent Business. Brad got my vote.

For Lt. Governor, I voted for David Schafer. I have known David a long time. He was a conservative workhorse in the Georgia Senate. He has literally hundreds of endorsements from conservative leaders and organizations including Georgia Right to Life, NRA, Citizens for Trump, and many others.

In my experience, David has always done what he said that he would do. He is not a show horse and willing to work behind the scenes to get the job done. David got my vote.

For Governor, I voted for Brian Kemp. I know both Brian and Lt. Governor Cagle. I consider them both to be friends. In a few weeks, one will be our Republican nominee for Governor.

Brian Kemp is also a small business owner who has not let his public service role as Secretary of State go to his head. He is just as level headed and approachable as he was when he first ran for office. What drove him to run for office was the frustration of government.

He brought some common sense solutions to the office of Secretary of State and cut the budget while taking on additional services. It was Brian Kemp about two years ago who caught someone trying to hack into the Secretary of State database, and that “someone” turned out to be our own US Homeland Security. Kemp correctly ordered them to back off.

Kemp took on the Obama administration and won. Instead of giving Georgians lame excuses of why he could not take them on, he fought back.

There have been some very ugly attack ads that do not focus on Brian’s successes. Anyone who steps out to start a small business is taking a risk. It should not be a surprise that every business does not do as well as others.

All of us have challenges in life and those challenges tend to make us wiser and more humble. I personally know the pain of a project that went sour on me and had a terribly negative impact on my business, family, and personal credit rating.

I know many people who faced the same thing. It is not a bad reflection on their personal character. In many ways it is an asset because they, myself included, can empathize with those in the midst of struggles.

I believe that Brian connects with the average Georgian. He has not forgotten where he came from and why he got into government in the first place. Brian got my vote.

So there you have it. Brian Kemp for Governor, David Shafer for Lt. Governor, Brad Raffensperger for Secretary of State. That’s how I voted and I endorse each one.

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The OIG Report – Part 1

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Donald Cole

This commentary is a little longer than my average comments. I read the entire OIG report, all 500 plus pages, on the Clinton E-Mail investigation. My commentary on this just won’t fit in 500 words or less.

In his conclusion the OIG used a phrase of six critical words: “The damage caused by these employees’…”

A few powerful players at the top level polluted the entire investigation. The OIG was ultra cautious in concluding that he did not find “documentary or testimonial evidence” that there was political bias.

My conclusion after reading the full report is that political bias saturated this investigation like gravy on biscuits. This is not to cast a wide net over all of the FBI and DOJ personnel.

I want to share my observations of a few aspects of the report.

Director James Comey

With regard to political bias, I am willing to give Director Comey the benefit of the doubt. In his testimony and the testimony of others, it appears that Director Comey’s ultimate concern was the reputation of the FBI.

His problem was not political bias per se. His problem was (and still appears to be) a hyper-inflated sense that he is the only one in the universe who can determine what is “right.”

In July of 2016 when I watched Comey’s press conference, my first thought was, “Why is he making this announcement and not a US Attorney?” Comey’s decision to go on his own was pure and simple insubordination.

On page 245, the OIG report made a key point. “In our criminal justice system, the investigative and prosecutive functions are intentionally kept separate as a check on the government’s power to bring criminal charges.”

Comey willfully, knowingly, intentionally, tossed the checks and balances out the window. He made himself the chief arbiter of a decision that was never his to make.

In October, days before the election, Comey again made a decision to publicly re-open the Clinton e-mail investigation. In this case, DOJ was aware of his intention to notify Congress and requested that he not at that time. Again, Comey acted as if he alone had the integrity to make the “right” decision.

After President Trump fired Comey, he once again displayed his insubordination. He retained an official FBI work product after his termination of employment, and gave it to a college professor who had no business even knowing the document existed. The professor then leaked the document to the news media as a conduit for Comey.

Comey felt that his action was justified. It was not justified. It violated FBI policy, if not the law.

The FBI Director is part of the Executive Branch and as such is accountable to and subordinate to the Attorney General and the President. While Comey proclaimed his independence from outside meddling, in reality he was acting as a benevolent dictator. He should have been fired in July of 2016.

Peter Strzok and Lisa Page

The two lovebirds got a lot of attention over their text messages. Both held high positions of influence in the investigation. Incredulously, one of them, Peter Strzok is still employed by the FBI.

On July 31, 2016 Strzok sent a text to Page about the opening of the Russia investigation. He expressed his excitement to be on the investigation.

“And ____ this feels momentous. Because this matters. The other one did, too, but that was to ensure we didn’t ___ something up. This matters because this MATTERS. So super glad to be on this voyage with you.”

The most publicized exchange was on August 8, 2016:

Page: “[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!”
Strzok: “No. No he’s not. We’ll stop it.”

Strzok was not talking about organizing political activities to get out the vote for Hillary and assure her victory. He held a powerful role in an investigation of the Trump campaign. Based on his July 31 e-mail he appeared to believe at that time that the investigation would somehow stop Trump.

His belief is evident in a text one week later, on August 15, when Strzok wrote to Page:

“I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office—that there’s no way he gets elected—but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40….”

On May 17, 2017, Robert Mueller was appointed as Special Counsel. On May 18, Strzok wrote to Page,

“For me, and this case, I personally have a sense of unfinished business. I unleashed it with MYE [the Clinton E-Mail Investigation]. Now I need to fix it and finish it.”

Strzok also wrote about his career path. “Who gives a ___, one more A[ssistant] D[irector]…[versus] [a]n investigation leading to impeachment?”

On May 22, Strzok wrote another message to Page about her career path as part of the Special Counsel’s team: “This is yours. Plus, leaving a S[pecial] C[ounsel] (having been an SC) resulting in an impeachment as an attorney is VERY different than leaving as an investigator….”

These text messages reveal more than just a bias. In his role, Strzok had at his disposal assets from the intelligence community, the law enforcement community, and the Department of Justice.

Peter Strzok was texting about stopping a candidate in the American electoral process. Then he was texting about removing the duly elected President of the United States.

Every FBI agent takes an oath of office that begins with these words, “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” Peter Strzok, in particular, needs to look into the mirror because his text messages reveal him to a domestic enemy of the United States Constitution. It is a travesty that Strzok is still employed by the FBI. The new Director needs to clean house, or he needs to go the way of James Comey.

I have a lot more to write on this report. Watch for my next Note from Don Cole with more on the OIG report.

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The State of the Union

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Donald Cole

I look forward to hearing President Trump’s State of the Union Message tomorrow evening. We will hear him focus on how we have advanced as a nation in the past year.

The last President was going around the world apologizing to other nations for America. Contrast that to President Trump who is unapologetically proud of America. The differences are as stark as the dense darkness in the depths of Mammoth Cave to high noon in the Sahara desert.

From his first visit to Saudi Arabia where he confronted Muslim terrorism in its own back yard to Warsaw where he boldly proclaimed Western Judeao-Christian values that are the foundation for freedom.

Just last week in Lavos, he promoted America First and clearly explained that America First does not mean America alone. He made economics simple by pointing out that a strong American economy is good for the whole world.

The stock market hits new records highs on a weekly basis. When it passed 25,000, President Trump said it looks like 30,000 is our next goal.

I expect him to talk about his plan for investment in infrastructure. He will discuss his plan for Immigration. He offered a proposal to the Democrats for the Dreamers that is bi-partisan.

He stood firm when Democrats shut down the government to allow some illegal immigrants to stay. His proposal now doubles the number of illegal immigrants who would be allowed to stay and have a path to become citizens.

The mainstream media has focused on matters that don’t matter to the average American. It has become nauseatingly comical. President Trump will address the things that do matter. It is not just talk. It is action and millions of Americans are seeing it now, even in their own paychecks.

This will be an important address. I will be watching. I hope that you will too.

Signature-Donald E. Cole

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Sixth District – Why Vote Early

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Donald Cole

Early voting opened today in the 6th Congressional District runoff. I live in the 2nd District and will not be able to cast a vote in this election. For those who do live in the 6th, I encourage you to vote early.

There are many, myself included, who believe that voting should be on election day except for absentees. Election day only voting would reduce the opportunity for fraudulent voting.

As much as I believe that, the fact is that early voting is a reality. Disagreeing with early voting and waiting until election day will not change early voting.

Republicans have always done well on election day voting. Democrats historically have a slight advantage in early voting. Republicans need dominate both. Here is why I encourage you to vote early.

Comey, Ice Cream, and September

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Donald Cole

Each day, the mainstream media and the Democrats in Congress display their utter contempt for President Trump. Over a week ago, President Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey.

The President has the full authority to dismiss the director along with many other appointed positions in the Executive Branch. The FBI Director serves at the pleasure of the President. Yet the squawks keep coming after a full week.

Why I Support Karen Handel

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Donald Cole

Click on the Banner Above to Donate to Karen Handel

I have been reading a book published by Hillsdale College entitled, The US Constitution, A Reader. The book is a compilation of original writings by our founding fathers and those who influenced their thinking.

You may wonder what this has to do with the title of this post – “Why I Support Karen Handel.” It is a reminder that the platform on which Karen stands is not something new. Her philosophy is grounded in the same philosophy documented over two centuries ago.

2nd District Unanimously Supports Handel in 6th

Posted on April 22, 2017 by Donald Cole

On Saturday, April 22, 2017, Republicans in Fourteen Congressional Districts across Georgia held District Conventions. The Second Congressional District unanimously adopted a resolution supporting Karen Handel in the special election runoff on June 20th. Many at the convention also backed the resolution with checks and on-line donations to Karen’s campaign.

A Resolution by the 2nd District Georgia Republican Party Expressing United Support for Karen Handel

WHEREAS, the 6th Congressional District of Georgia is a conservative district that has been represented by Republicans including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, current US Senator Johnny Isakson, and current Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Price; and

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Category Archives: Elections

How I am Voting

Democrat Houses of Cards Are About to Collapse

Your Vote Counts

I Voted – Here’s How

The OIG Report – Part 1

Director James Comey

Peter Strzok and Lisa Page

The State of the Union

Sixth District – Why Vote Early

Comey, Ice Cream, and September

Why I Support Karen Handel

2nd District Unanimously Supports Handel in 6th

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Director James Comey

Peter Strzok and Lisa Page

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