Hall County GOP Chairman Blog

No Government seems to ever have a surplus.  If they do, the first thing they do is fight over how to spend it as soon as possible.  That is why in years when WE are having a hard time making ends meet, THEY ask for more.  The answer should always be NO.

The $27M Gainesville budget shows that 16% or $4,320,000 is administrative overhead.  55% of the budget is public safety.  I’m all for police and fire protection at any cost but…..

….it is time to consider unified fire and law enforcement in Gainesville / Hall County.  Each operation now has its own administration which could be cut on half.  Chief Hooper is doing a great job, but a unified law enforcement under Sheriff Cronic would bring the illegal alien capture-and-deport program to the City (where it is a huge loophole now).  Gainesville is almost a sanctuary city for illegal aliens.  Recently I was told that one rating company has rated Hall County down because of the illegal alien issue.  Any certified officer can run radar and write speeding tickets on the bridges (no matter the color of the uniform).

What is the importance about the property tax being steady (about $4.9M)?  It means that there is no reason to increase taxes because the City’s income is the same.

Thanks to Kristen Morales at The Times for this information.

Read the paper about the effects of the Sheriff’s new immigration efforts.  He tells me that crime involving illegal aliens is down by a large percentage already!  Way to go Sheriff!  Vendors who rely on illegal aliens are already whining (and threatening) too.

Now it is time for the County Commission and City Council to start refuse to issue permits to illegal aliens.  Business permits, building permits, licenses of all sorts (e.g. licenses to sell liquor).  A town in Virginia is doing that and the results have been dramatic.

Keep in mind that while illegal aliens are living in Hall County they occasionally have children.  Those children are U.S. Citizens and when they turn 18 they can vote.  Last report I read says that Hispanic births at the NEGMC outpace all others.  That means in 2026 the children of illegal aliens might be able to vote our elected officials out of office and put in their open border radical stooges in their place.

Republicans are normally too busy working (and paying taxes) to plan ahead.  For a very long time I was only in support of deporting illegal aliens that committed felony criminal offenses and some more severe misdemeanor offenses where public safety is at risk (e.g. DUI, battery, family violence, etc.)  However now I understand that the costs to lawful citizens of the illegal aliens far outpace the utility of their being here.  Every sector of our local economy is negatively affected by illegal aliens.  Yes it means that some very nice, hard-working, talented, God-fearing people will be deported.  However the will be deported TO THEIR HOME NOT TO A CONCENTRATION CAMP.  That is like me being deported to Athens.  It is not really mean spirited or unfair to give someone a free trip home so they can follow the rules to return lawfully.

Watch the reports this afternoon folks.  By the end of the day it is likely that a Gainesville resident will be the DOT board member to replace Mike Evans.  Mike was from Forsyth County, and the person to replace him has to live in the 9th Congressional District (the district represted by Nathan Deal).  That is a lot of counties all over North Georgia.  We should be glad we are getting a local person to represent our interests.

UPDATE:  Guess the local guy lost by a landslide.  I suppose the legislative delegation wanted someone who was a legislator and not a former technocrat from inside the agency.  The new board member is from Dalton and was a former State Senator.  Good luck to him.  He has big shoes to fill.

CONGRATULATIONS to Mike and the Commissioner on their engagement.  I guess when you find the right person it does not take long to figure it out.

Is there anything that government thinks it does not need to regulate?  Just because you get your friends to vote you into office does not make you smarter than everyone else.  Flowery Branch entertains us again with their decision to regulate how fast billboards change.  WTH?  Why is government getting involved in this?  Just another unnecessary government regulation.  Another “gotcha” for unsuspecting businesses.  Thse electronic billboards cost upwards of $1,000,000.  If Flowery Branch wants to regulate what is on them, then BUY THE SIGN.  If you can’t afford to buy the sign then don’t worry about it.

Safety?  Bureaucrats always invoke “safety” when they want to do something.  It sounds better than “because I want to.”  (Or worse yet, ”because my friends can’t compete so I will use my position to help my buddies out.”)  Unfortunately these areguments are no more persuasive.  Have there been any accidents because of signs changing on I-985?  Anywhere?  Councilman Craig Lutz says he is concerned.  The State of Georgia already has a 10 second minimum (because they want to).

Craig wants the timing to be 53 seconds (as opposed to 50 seconds or 54 seconds?).  Ok Craig, here is the perfect solution:  get $1,000,000, go through all the headaches to get a permit (it is already a nightmare in Hall County), negotiate the lease for the land, negotiate a contract to erect the sign, put your sign up and set it to 53 seconds.  Simple solution.  Then you compete with the guys (who already have $1,000,000 and the lease and the sign) who have their signs set at 10 seconds.

Why 10 seconds?  Is that a good idea?  Is 53 seconds better?  Who knows!  The right answer is that if you are the government the default position should be that it is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. 

In the meantime legitimate businesses are losing money because Flowery Branch is trying decide how to get involved in something they should not be involved in!  Flowery Branch:  Leave those signs alone!

Read The Times story here –>Speed limits for ads on highway?

A big THANK YOU to Sheriff Steve Cronic for taking the lead in illegal immigration in Hall County.  Although the Feds fought as hard as they could, Sheriff Cronic and his Department passed the test to deport illegals without having to wait for the INS’ blessing.  The INS has never wanted to deport anyone from the US.  Soon the word will be out that Hall County is not the county of choice for illegals.  Watch costs and crime go down in proportion to the reduction in the illegal population.  Maybe Sheriff Cronic can find a way to deport the illegal immigration attorneys next if they don’t have their fishing licenses?

Congratulations to Brad Morris on his reappointment on May 2, 2008.  His term will now expire in 2012.  I know I probably stand alone as a Republican in support of Brad Morris.  However, I know that Brad supports and defends the Constitution to the best of his ability every day.  He, and his staff, might be a pain in the butt for prosecutors (and I have prosecuted cases against Brad so I know this first hand), but that is not the litmus test.  The test is whether the legal process is fair for the accused.  As a former prosecutor and appellate attorney, trust me when I say that it is better to fight the good fight to the fullest in the trial court than it is to have a defect that has to be fixed later.  Brad and his staff make sure that every possible defense is raised at the earliest possible moment so that there is little or no chance for a successful appeal later.

As to the committee that reappointed Brad, however, none of them are members of the Hall County Republican Party.  Rep. James Mills recommended yours truly to fill a vacant position to be appointed by the Superior Court Judges, which would have made one Republican on the committee.  The Superior Court Judges did not select me or any other Republican.

I hope the title of this post will be a headline that we will see soon, if the facts of the case are how they have been reported so far.  Hall County Residents should not have to fear being murdered by some worthless punk in their own home.  When I was a prosecutor, I always called out for the ultimate punishment for those who deserved it.  I know Lee Darragh personally, having been his trial partner for years, and I know that he will make the appropriate decision based upon prayerful consideration of the law, the facts (most of which we will not know for some time), and the consultation with relatives of Mr. Baggett, the victim.  We are fortunate to have such a man as Lee Darragh as our District Attorney.