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Subject:Citizen Newsletter #270 From: Henry Citizen (hccitizen@hccitizen.net) To: hc.citizen@hccitizen.org; Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:41:38

The Citizen Newsletter

Issue # 270
June 15, 2011 The Conservative Voice of Henry County
Contact The Citizen at hc.citizen@hccitizen.org Your comments and submissions are always welcome!

In This Issue

News & Announcements Regional Extortion Henry BoE Budget Henry BoE wants SPLOST Life Management De-Funded Senoia Tea Party Patriots Tax Hike for Newton County

The French Market & Tavern The Citizen is happy to promote Henry Countys newest, and perhaps the best, local restaurant for great food, great atmosphere and dedicated staff. Kim writes: Had a great time tonight. I just love sitting in front of the open kitchen window watching all the excitement. What a fun time. Thanks for al you have done SAM PAGN, RICK WEAVER, & Lauren Noah Weaver for opening such an awesome place! Michelle writes: Had a great time tonight. Food was delicious and dessert was amazing! So happy you all are open!

Your Voice

The Hack Line vs Ryan Davis

Editorial / Publication Policy Available in HTML (original) or PDF format Send email to hc.citizen@hccitizen.org The Citizen newsletter is available online at Scribd.com View online at

E-Verify Win in Supreme Court

"The Supreme Court decided 5-to-3 that states can punish employers who violate a mandatory E-Verify law. The court challenge was led by the U.S. Chamber of Congress against Arizona's 2007 law that suspends a business's license if they don't use E-Verify to check the eligibility of all new hires. During the creation of the Basic Pilot Program, which is now known as E-Verify, Congress gave authority to the states to use its business licensing practices as penalty for companies that hire illegal workers. The Court used that clause in its majority opinion. Arizona's procedures simply implement the sanctions that Congress expressly allowed the States to pursue through licensing laws. Given that Congress specifically preserved such authority for the States, it stands to reason that Congress did not intend to prevent the States from using appropriate tools to exercise that authority... Because we conclude that the State's licensing provisions fall squarely within the federal statute's savings clause and that the Arizona regulation does not otherwise conflict with federal law, we hold that the Arizona law is not preempted. -- Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.

http://www.scribd.com/larry_stanley

Your Support is Appreciated

The Conservative Voice of Henry County has opened a venue for news, comment and opinion that exists nowhere

else. It is because of you; a steady list of people who read and submit articles sharing ideas and principles.

The Agenda: The Constitution Party of Georgia

Join Ray with special guests from The Constitution Party of Georgia. http://www.sbn.tv/archives/1090 Or visit www.hccitizen.org ABOUT THE AGENDA: This SBN original production features your Agenda host Ray McBerry who takes a weekly look at social and political issues that pertain to us here in the southern crescent.

The Agenda: with Larry Stanley

http://www.sbn.tv/archives/category/programming/the-agenda National, state and local politics. Ray says there is nobody better to stir things up than Larry!

Hurray for the Henry County board of commissioners. They set a balanced budget for 2011-2012. Boo, Hiss to the opportunities they ignored! Fifty-seven people lost their jobs in budget cutting moves. That is bad enough and happening in private businesses too. While chairman Mathis was crying over the losses (watch the video online) nothing was said about available methods to save some of them with creative thinking. Henry County has a number of people close to retirement, some within a year or two. Like many companies, the county could have offered a buy-out plan for early retirement. That would have kept an income for both retirees and a few more county employees. Did this idea come to anyone on the board? Apparently not.

Thank you for your support and participation

15,000+ Reads at Scribd.com and 4,100+ Subscribers

PUBLIC DOES NOT G RASP REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION

The Hack Line

http://charlesmobley.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/public-does-not-grasp-regional-transportation/

Last nights local town hall phone conference call on regional transportation SPLOST showed Henry County, GA voters have yet to grasp the regional concept. Questions ranged from how to get the tall grass cut along the roadside in Henry County to putting in stop lights at local intersections. A few questions about regional bus service on the weekends and the proposed Atlanta to Griffin rail line were asked but for the most part the questions showed the voting public does not understand what the proposed tax is going to be used for if it does indeed pass next July.

Replace and Repeal The public does get it. It is a huge scheme to tax $Billions of dollars into grand plans. Nobody sees that as a real day-to-day priority. What is real to folks is maintaining what we have, make roads safer. Mathis also points out about the proposed penalty for those counties that vote down the proposed tax increase; The Bill WILL cut current local state funding if it fails at the polls by 30%. Theres no opt out for counties. It appears the deck has been stacked against counties that deny the tax increase. If Henry voters turn out against the tax increase, funding for Henry will automatically be reduced by 30% and stifle our county.
It is called EXTORTION. The same spineless legislators who created this tax bomb can be removed from office. Replace and repeal. That is the only way to relieve the burden of higher taxation!

Henry BOE approves $296 million budget

Henry Daily Herald Henry County Schools employees will have two fewer unpaid furlough days than previously expected for the 2011-12 school year. The difference between the two budgets, Allie added, is mainly due to the elimination of two furlough days. Most employees now will have three furlough days in 2011-12, instead of five. Administrators will have five furlough days, instead of seven. The assistant superintendent said eliminating two furlough days will bring the boards final FY12 Budget to $296.4 million, compared to the $294 million tentative budget approved in May. The larger budget, however, will require draining some $9.4 million from the boards cash reserves. What has not changed in the budgeting process are expectations of declining local revenues, according to school district records. Henry Countys 2011 tax digest is projected to decrease by 7 percent, which means a loss of about $7.8 million for the district. It would be the third consecutive year in which the tax digest has decreased. District data revealed that the $296.4 million budget for 2011-12 is its first budget in three years to be larger than the previous years. School officials managed a $327 million operating budget during the 2008-09 school year, compared to $317 million in 2009-10, and $284 million in 2010-11.

Henry BOE to send SPLOST tax proposal to voters

Henry Daily Herald Registered voters throughout the county and not just the 34,155 living within Henrys four cities also will be asked to cast ballots on the continuation of a one-cent sales tax for education. The Henry County Board of Education voted (4-0) during its June 13 meeting to place the sales tax referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot. School Board Member Pam Nut, was not present for the vote. The sales tax is known as the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST for Schools. It would be continued for another five-year period. The current SPLOST III began collections in January 2008, and will expire in December 2012. If voters elect to approve the SPLOST IV referendum on Nov. 8, the school system will then be able to move forward with planning and construction of Hampton High School, as well as with other capital projects, such as building repairs and technology needs, on an earlier time schedule than if such a referendum were approved at a later date, said Ethan Hildreth, Henrys school superintendent. This would permit more timely response to existing needs across the system. Hildreth said, without SPLOST as a source of funds, the system would be severely limited in its ability to protect the communitys investment in school facilities. School facilities, he said, are used extensively and require maintenance and repair over time. REMEMBER this five or six year tax IS NOT for staff, hiring teachers, eliminating furloughs or improving education. This tax is only for capital expenses of new buildings and building maintenance. They plan to do renovations and repairs to four existing schools, for a combined $52 million. And to spend $20 million on technology improvements, and $3.2 million to replace as many as 40 old school buses.

Life Management Department De-Funded

The commissioners, last month, announced that funding for LMS would be eliminated from the 2011-12 fiscal year budget. The budgeted amount, according to Henry County Finance Director Mike Bush, was $276,196. LMS was started in 1998, as Youth and Family Services, administered by the Henry County Juvenile Court, said its director, Sandra Reagan. Recall the 2008 creation of Life Management as a county government department. In the budget requests that came before the board of commissioners the lie of cost neutrality became an issue. Mathis new department would not only take away funds allocated to the Juvenile Courts, but increase total funding by $276,428. That new departments budget included promoting a county employee making $49,800 to Director with a salary of $65,000. developed and implemented by Sandra Reagan, of Henry County Juvenile Court. Due to growth and success of programs, in 2008, Henry County expanded these services throughout the community and launched Henry County Life Management Solutions. Services are now available to everyone. Henry County Judicial Courts chief judges serve as support and advisory board. Services range from prevention/intervention, Co-Parenting, Gangs, Family Management, Life Management and a driver-education course for teenagers. A citizen of McDonough, said LMS is a solid program that was instrumental in bringing sanity back to her home earlier this year. LMS helped our family identify the root causes of our problems, and helped us change, she said. Our house today, compared to seven weeks ago, is 180 degrees in the opposite direction but in the right direction, and we have LMS to credit for that. Managing lives is not a proper role of government. Co-parenting and family counseling is far beyond a government function. LMS is a perfect example of misguided agendas at taxpayer expense. Growth of government means taxpayer funding for counseling, intervention and other professional services best provided by the private sector. From the backdoor manipulation that created a county department to creating dependence on government for funding of church and community outreach, Life Management Solutions never belonged in the county budget. It is a matter of principle.

Senoia Tea Party Patriots

http://www.senoiateapartypatriots.org/ Monday June 20, 2011 Time 7:00 PM Senoia Tea Party Monthly Meeting

Location: Senoia City Park on 423 Seavy Street, in the Freeman Sasser Mission Statement:

Memorial Building

The impetus for the Tea Party movement is excessive government spending and taxation. Our mission is to attract, educate, organize, and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets.

Core Values Fiscal Responsibility Constitutionally Limited Government Free Markets Fiscal Responsibility: Fiscal Responsibility by government honors and respects the freedom of the individual to spend the money that is the fruit of their own labor. A constitutionally limited government, designed to protect the blessings of liberty, must be fiscally responsible or it must subject its citizenry to high levels of taxation that unjustly restrict the liberty our Constitution was designed to protect. Such runaway deficit spending as we now see in Washington D.C. compels us to take action as the increasing national debt is a grave threat to our national sovereignty and the personal and economic liberty of future generations. Constitutionally Limited Government:

We, the members of The Tea Party Patriots, are inspired by our founding documents and regard the Constitution of the United States to be the supreme law of the land. We believe that it is possible to know the original intent of the government our founders set forth, and stand in support of that intent. Like the founders, we support states' rights for those powers not expressly stated in the Constitution. As the government is of the people, by the people and for the people, in all other matters we support the personal liberty of the individual, within the rule of law. Free Markets: A free market is the economic consequence of personal liberty. The founders believed that personal and economic freedom were indivisible, as do we. Our current government's interference distorts the free market and inhibits the pursuit of individual and economic liberty. Therefore, we support a return to the free market principles on which this nation was founded and oppose government intervention into the operations of private business. Our Philosophy: Tea Party Patriots, Inc. as an organization believes in the Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government, and Free Markets. Tea Party Patriots, Inc. is a non-partisan grassroots organization of individuals united by our core values derived from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, the Bill Of Rights as explained in the Federalist Papers. We recognize and support the strength of grassroots organization powered by activism and civic responsibility at a local level. We hold that the United States is a republic conceived by its architects as a nation whose people were granted "unalienable rights" by our Creator. Chiefly among these are the rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Tea Party Patriots stand with our founders, as heirs to the republic, to claim our rights and duties which preserve their legacy and our own. We hold, as did the founders, that there exists an inherent benefit to our country when private property and prosperity are secured by natural law and the rights of the individual.

Property Tax Hike Planned in Newton County

by Jason Pye at www.jasonpye.com http://www.jasonpye.com/2011/06/property-tax-hike-planned-in-newton-county/ The Newton County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday will consider a property tax hike next Tuesday (June 21st), according to an e-mail I just received:

Newton County Commission Chairman, Kathy Morgan has decided that a property tax increase is needed in order to balance the countys projected budget. Considering the stagnant unemployment rate, high gas prices and rising costs in most consumer goods, everyone is suffering to meet their household expenses. Raising property taxes will cause an undue burden to every homeowner. It is vital that we let our voices be heard. You can influence the vote in two ways. First, by attending the upcoming meeting on Tuesday, June 21 at 7:00 PM at the Historic Newton County Courthouse located on 1124 Clark Street (across the Square). Although we are not allowed to ask questions during the meeting, you can speak to your District Commissioner before the meeting starts and let them know you do not support a tax increase. (Remember to arrive 15-30 minutes early to speak to your commissioner.) Secondly, by calling your district commissioner and letting them know you oppose this burdensome tax increase. If you live in the county, Id encourage you to call the commissioners and express your opposition to this unneeded tax hike. Mort Ewing (R-1D): 770-786-5006 Lanier Sims (D-2D): 404-787-2852 Nancy Schultz (D-3D): 770-385-8880 J.C. Henderson (D-4D): 770-866-3621 Tim Fleming (R-5D): 404-285-3569

[UPDATE] A friend writes, Im hearing that Ewing and Fleming are opposed [to the tax hike]. Sims and Henderson for it, with Schultz thinking about going either way.

YOUR VOICE
I just watched you on the Agenda this evening. I would have to agree that we need to put an abrupt stop to the transportation tax that our dear B.J. is wanting to get passed so desperately. I am on board with

stopping this tax. We need not one more taxation upon our citizens at this time. Unemployment is "STILL" in the double digits. I could go on and on Robin Earnest
Ms. Earnest was a candidate for Henry County board of commissioners in 2010.

SAY WHAT?

www.ProvisionProperties.com

What is so great about commuter rail from Henry County to Macon?? Henry countians do not work in Macon; they work north of Henry, in Atlanta and beyond.

Cemetery Research Group

www.crghenry.org

Georgia Historical Society to Host NEH Landmarks Workshops

The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is hosting two weeklong workshops funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the NEH's Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops for Community College Faculty from June 12-25. "AfricanAmerican History & Culture in the Georgia Lowcountry: Savannah & The Coastal Islands, 1750-1950," has been designed to address broad themes of race and slavery in American history covered in a U.S. history survey course by focusing on site-specific experiences of communities in and around Savannah from the late 18th through the early 20th centuries. Through course readings, scholarly lectures, landmark site visits, community presentations, guided tours and research in primary source documents from the GHS collection, we will examine the centrality of place in the African-American experience in Georgia's Lowcountry and the larger Atlantic world... Click here: http://www.georgiahistory.com/stories/184 to read the full release.

Signature Broadcasting

Network SBN TV Were all about you! http://sbn.tv/

McDonough Arts 2011 events For more info contact: Debbie Withers 678/522-4020 or debwithers@gmail.com

McDonough Matters
For

May, 2011
Newsletters are now available at
http://www.mcdonoughga.org/newsletters_media.html

http://www.mcdonougharts.net

BUTTS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY MEETING THURSDAY, June 16th

Time to get back on track! Join us starting at 6:30 pm to mingle, the meeting will start at 7:00 pm. State Representative Andy Welch III will let us know whats going on at the State level. Our County Commissioners will give us an update for Butts County. How have the House and Senate Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committees' Public Hearings been going? Well review the 8th District & State Conventions and discuss current events. What are your concerns? The meeting will be held at the Butts County Administration Bldg., located at 625 West 3rd Street, Jackson. For information contact Debbie Moon at 770-504-0469 or email at

GopButtsCounty@gmail.com.

Columbus GA Tea Party

To contract new debts is not the way to pay old ones. ~George Washington, letter to James Welch, April 7, 1799

Yard Sale for Fundraising

Saturday and Sunday, June 18-19, 8AM to 12 PM, 5107 Cunningham Dr off Warm Springs Rd.

299 Jonesboro Road McDonough, GA 30253 (770) 954-9999 Fax: (770) 954-0182

Please look through your household for items to donate (usable items, appliances that still work, etc). If you can donate by Thursday, please call me. Also we need a couple more volunteers to help with the sale. Finally, if you cannot donate, please stop by and you may find something you would like to buy.

Over at the Hack Line Charles Mobley posted NO SURPRISE, RYAN DAVIS BREAKS CAMPAIGN PROMISE.
http://charlesmobley.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/no-surprise-ryan-davis-breaks-campaign-promise/ In part, the article stated: Ryan Davis voted for furloughs for Henry County, GA School system. Davis breaks his word not to support and end furloughs and his Davis Plan is worthless. A man is only as good as his word and once he breaks his word he has little left as substance. For the next three years and six months there is no telling what this young inexperienced man will do to the school system. Its a shame that Davis did not take his own words seriously and is simply going through the motions. He deeply disappoints many with his breaking of his campaign promise. File his vote under false and misleading campaign promises.

Ryan Davis, the Henry BoEs newest member responded:

Thanks for forwarding this to me Larry, I am glad you run a blog with accurate information and not that of a "Hack". I hope you can include this entire response in your newsletter. Mr. Mobley thinks he knows everything there is to know about politics and this very naive column proves how little he really knows. It appears from Mr. Mobley's last few columns about me that he has some pent up jealousy issues with my political success considering his continued failures within politics. I also think he still holds a grudge from when my father refused to endorse him when he ran his failed campaign for Chairman of the BOC. Mr. Mobley does not even live in my district, however his board member voted in favor of the same budget that I did and actually it was a unanimous vote. It appears he thinks because of my age that he could pressure me to do something he knows that would intentional put me at odds with my other board members, the staff, and other organizations as well as place me in a precarious political position, which I do not intend on doing. I worked hard on this issue and I was able to accomplish a partial success. I might be young, but I do have experience (much more than Mr. Mobley) and I have seen first hand good moves and the bad moves that I don't plan on repeating. Compromise must be achieved and SACS expects us as School Board members to discuss and debate issues, however a failure to come to a compromise on budget issues has been a traditional red flag to accreditation reviews. Additionally his argument is childish and self serving as he fails to acknowledge that his wife is a teacher and this directly affects his personal income. The worst part is that I have been working very hard with staff and my fellow board members to eliminate these furloughs, and after discussions the initial budget proposal from the finance department included a reduction of furloughs from 8 days to 5 days. This equates to a 37.5% reduction in furlough days. However, we as a board discussed it further and asked for them to dig a little deeper to find ways to reduce this further. The final

budget which we approved last night, and that I voted for, reduced the teachers furloughs to 3 days which is a 62.5% reduction in furloughs days in my first budget as a board member. By any reasonable accounts this is a very good start and should be considered a success. I am certain that deeper cuts to other vital programs could have been made to eliminate the furloughs entirely but which program would Mr. Mobley have us eliminate? Maybe we could have eliminated more band or chorus programs, baseball or cheerleading, reduced the already shorthanded counselors, or maybe totally eliminated Para pros. The fact of the matter is that there was actions taken to reduce the burden on teachers that I felt moved toward my ultimate goal of eliminating teacher furloughs and therefore I supported the budget which pays the salaries of 5300 employees in addition to that of Mr. Mobley's wife. Henry Herald article, http://www.mycountypaper.com/henrydailyherald/headlines/Henry_BOE_approves_296_million_budget_123792354.html With all of this said lets be clear what I said in my campaign and I can assure you I have not lied and that I am not "simply going through the motions". I did not promise to eliminate furloughs the day I walked in the door and again no reasonable person could conclude that from my material or statements. Here is word for word from my campaign site: "If given the privilege to serve, I will pursue these five main objectives during my first term as your School Board Representative" I am the only new board member and I have been on the board for a little over 5 months and as you can see from the above statement from my campaign site I would work to eliminate furloughs in my first term, there is no lie or misdeed in my actions on the board. Now it is tough to show exactly everything you have and have not done while serving as we work as a board not as individuals. However, Mr. Mobley referenced my campaign plan as "worthless", referenced that I was not a man of my words and that I have deeply disappointed many, there is simply no truth to any of these assumptions and I will let you and your readers determine for themselves who has substance and who is the "Hack" with the following information. The Davis Plan If given the privilege to serve, I will pursue these five main objectives during my first term as your School Board Representative: 1. I plan to use my knowledge in finance to help prioritize spending as well implement strategies to save the taxpayers money without furloughing teachers. Additionally, I would like to implement a personal finance course that will enable our students to learn about credit cards, taxes, mortgages and simple family budgeting that will help them become more productive citizens. *This years budget will include reducing the number of teacher furloughs from 8 days to 3 days (62.5% decrease). I still support options that eliminate furloughs entirely in the future. **The board recently voted (I voted "nay") to implement a mandated price increase of 10 cents under President Obamas Equity in Lunch Prices which I am opposed to. I had the issue tabled last month and I worked hard to find solutions to protect you and other families from this price increase. Henry Neighbor article on school lunch prices, http://hen.nn.marietta.new.adqic.com/stories/Henry-school-lunch-prices-mayincrease,171526

2. I plan to champion an open campus setting at the Academy for Advanced Studies located at Henry County High School. The current policy requires full time attendance to Henry County High School. District 5 students are being left out of the opportunity to obtain additional and advanced technical and vocational courses offered at this Academy. I will work to change this unfair policy. *This proposal has become policy, and now (this coming school year) every high school student in my district (as well as county wide) will have the opportunity to take these advanced technical classes offered at the Academy for Advanced Studies on the campus of Henry County HS without having to transfer from their home school. 3. Common sense disciplinary policy that uses discretion and understanding rather than a one size fits all zero tolerance policy. Strong leadership requires us to be tough on bullies, gangs and drug dealers; it does not mean we must expel a 2nd grader for accidentally bringing his Cub Scout pocket knife to school. *We have disciplinary hearings a couple of times a month in addition to the study sessions and the board meetings which I miss work to attend. While I can not give you specific examples because of privacy rights, I can tell you that I approach each circumstance and each appeal with the mind set of being fair and just while practicing understanding. **Additionally I interviewed with the accrediting agency while they were here last month doing their standard review and we have been awarded System Accreditation, again. 4. Better cooperation with the State would enable our system to take more responsibility in our financial situation. I will vote to eliminate the lawsuit with the state over charter schools and will work to improve these options for our undeserved and disadvantaged students. *After taking office I was elected by the board to become the boards legislative liaison and I spent many days working with our legislators as well as the GDOE to ensure that we got our fair share of funding. The budget included many of the standard funding programs but we also received the long sought after Technical School funding and we got additional funds to purchase new buses. As for the lawsuit, a decision

from the Supreme Court was handed down recently in favor of Henry County Schools and there counter partners. While I did not support the suit, I am glad that this is behind us and I look forward to building on our relationships with the state officials as they seek a solution to that decision. 5. I believe the Fine Arts, Physical Education and High School Athletics are not just good policy but a building block for students to learn discipline, determination, and dedication. They are a key part of educating our children and I will fight to maintain if not increase funding for band, chorus, art, and athletic opportunities for male and female students. Many times these are the tools that not only keep students in school but also help them get to the next level in education. *This past month we passed a change in the AP GPA scale for our high school students, and as someone who took 5 AP classes in high school I felt it was right to make these improvements and have a system wide unified scale. **We have not increased funding for the fine arts and athletics but we have been able to maintain what we did last year. It is my hope that next year we will have the funds to place more emphasis in this area. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------While I have not accomplished all that I have set out to do, you can clearly see we have made progress on numerous areas and it is my desire to continue to positively move our school system to even greater heights. Ryan S. Davis
r.s.davis@charter.net

Inspiring Students - Investing in Teachers

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