More to come soon!

Sorry for the lack of updates to the Buzz in the last couple of weeks.  I have been under heavy deadline pressure in my real job (I know, shocking that running the Gwinnett Buzz does not pay all my bills!).  I have been spending nights and half of last weekend on this project.  But the light is visible at the end of the tunnel and I will soon have time to post some great stuff.  I have a letter to the editor from a former high school classmate about his experience with Gwinnett's socialized garbage that I cannot wait to get online.  It proves everything I warned about this program when our commissioners unwisely adopted it.  Thanks for being patient!

More NIMBYism in Gwinnett

The Buzz has been quiet of late.  As I have discussed I have not had time to maintain the site.  The Buzz is not dead, as I am considering the future of the site and a potential relaunch.  However, when I saw an article come across Twitter this morning from the Gwinnett Daily Post regarding opposition voiced to commercial aviation at Briscoe Field during last night's commission meeting, I had to comment.

Reading the article, it appears that NIMBYism is alive and well in Gwinnett. If you live right near the airport, I can see where you have a legitimate concern about noise, congestion, etc.  These concerns absolutely need to be considered as these homeowners/landowevers were there first and have property rights that could significantly be impaired by bringing commercial aviation to Gwinnett.  However, when someone who does not live near the airport - I see "No Airport Expansion" signs in yards not even close to Briscoe - is complaining using the standard questionable claims of "crime, noise, traffic, etc." it simply smacks of NIMBYism.  I am a nearly lifelong Gwinnett resident and I am avid supporter of bringing commercial airlines to Briscoe. What an asset that could be to our county!  The ability to be able to fly out of Lawrenceville without the near 50-mile, hour-plus drive to Hartsfield is very attractive (well assuming that I can fly on Delta! ;) ).  Atlanta is one of the largest cities in the country.  Many similar-sized cities have more than one commercial airport within their metro area.  Gwinnett could stand to benefit significantly by meeting potential demand for a north-side airport, realistically with minimal negative impact to our community.

The article noted that some residents were distrustful of the Gwinnett County Commission after the socialized garbage fiasco - understandably so!  But, to compare airport expansion to the garbage situation is a bit of a leap. The garbage plan forced me to engage in a specific business arrangement and limited my economic freedom. How does airport expansion/privatization do this?  You may not like change at Briscoe Field and that is your privilege, but aside from those who live nearby, what action or choice does the airport force upon you or what freedom does it limit?  Few it any from what I can tell at this point.  If anything, it expands economic opportunity and freedom of choice.  This is completely opposite of the case of socialized garbage. If airport opponents can outline material, negative impacts to Gwinnett at large, they should be heard and those points should weigh against airport expansion.  However, if their arguments are weak and rooted in little more than dislike of change in Gwinnett, the commission should not let such opposition be the deathknell of this opportunity.  The voice of the residents should factor into the consideration, but opposition based on mere dislike of a proposal should not be overweighted in the decision making process.  As such, I am disappointed in Gwinnett Commission District 4 candidate John Heard who seems to have already decided against airport expansion even at this early stage.  Has he fairly considered this proposal or is he, like most politicians, pandering votes?  Either is distasteful and disappointing.

This is likely to be an ongoing issue in Gwinnett for some time.  Hopefully, all angles will be given fair examination.  Also, hopefully, supporters of this proposal will be vocal as well so that the commission does not get the impression that residents are only opposed to commercial aviation in Gwinnett.  I must admit, this issue holds great interest for me and greatly encourages me to revamp the Buzz so I can be in a position to comment on the upcoming saga of Briscoe Field.

AJC focuses on "tumult" of socialized garbage vote

In an article posted by the AJC about yesterday's socialized garbage vote by the Gwinnett County Commission, the paper focused on the "public tumult" as the public gave the commission an "earful" regarding the ordinance.  I am glad that the AJC did not gloss over this part of the meeting.  The disgust by Gwinnett citizens over this unAmerican ordinance should be publicized.

What really irritates me is Mike Beaudreau's cavalier attitude toward economic freedom:

County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau, one of the biggest proponents of implementing a county-wide plan, said there were more than a dozen public meetings held to gauge public sentiment. The overwhelming majority, he said, favored a unified plan.

What Mike does not seem to get is that my economic freedom is not subject to majority rule or public sentiment.  It is fine if there is a subset of county residents that want the government involved in their business, holding their hand as they take out their garbage.  Even if support for the ordinance were  as "overwhelming" as Mike suggests - something I highly doubt - that does not given those residents the right to take away my economic freedom. For this alleged majority to get its way, the county must trample on my rights, which is flat-out WRONG.   That is the nature of rights - your rights end when they interfere with the rights of someone else.

Beaudreau's defense of this ordinance shows that, as with property rights, he has limited regard for protecting the rights of his constituents.  That tells me all I need to know about whether he is qualified to replace John Linder in the United States Congress - absolutely not!  What if the majority wants government-run healthcare?  Would Mike support that and force socialized medicine on everyone to please those who cannot take responsibility for themselves and, instead, ask the government to micromanage their lives?  The issues in Washington are far more critical and sweeping than a local solid waste ordinance (though all violations of our freedoms by government are important).  Mike Beaudreau, on the eve of a potential candidacy for Congress, is showing us precisely why he is not fit to fill the shoes of a true conservative like John Linder.  Beaudreau, along with the rest of the Gang of Five, shouldn't be re-elected as county commissioner, much less as United States Congressman.  The voters would be wise to keep this in mind should Mike enter the 7th District race.

Commission unanimously approves socialized garbage

The Gwinnett County Commission has completed the process of ignoring their constituents.  The board consisting of five RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) has voted to usurp your economic freedom by approving socialized garbage yet again.  Despite great public protest against the first solid waste ordinance, they moved forward and thumbed their collective noses at the citizens of Gwinnett and passed a new ordinance that is virtually identical to the first ordinance.  The only substantive difference appears to be the elimination of the "garbage police."  While this is laudable, that hardly makes the rest of the ordinance acceptable.  I thought at least Shirley Lasseter might not be in favor of this unAmerican measure, but she joined with the rest of the board in inserting the government into your personal business.

Several people addressed the board at the meeting today.  They made the point several times that the board was ignoring the people of Gwinnett.  Debbie Dooley of Gwinnett FreedomWorks promoted a protest on a date to be determined in the parking lot - and this is ironic - of Gwinnett Taxpayers Stadium (aka Coolray Field) in the near future.  Another speaker threatened a recall.  Yet another promised that should any of the existing commissioners run for "dogcatcher" they would be expected to have an answer for the voters as to why they supported socialized garbage.  Apparently, the board either does not get it or they just don't care about you, the citizen of Gwinnett.

That leaves you with one recourse for those commissioners that want to serve in elected office in the future - VOTE THEM OUT.  Any politician that so blatantly ignores the voters has no business holding public office. I urge you to keep this in mind whenever you attend a campaign event for any of the commissioners or vote in a race in which they are running.  They had a chance to remedy what was a huge mistake when they adopted socialized garbage the first time.  They did not.  Now, they should be rewarded by being removed from their office at the earliest opportunity.

The Gwinnett Commission has completely ignored you!

EDIT (2 March 10): I stated below that the audience could not address the commission during the meeting.  I am watching the meeting right now and the audience does have the opportunity to address the board.  The first two speakers are grilling the commissioners - way to go!

Just when you thought it was safe to take your garbage to the curb, there stands the Gwinnett County Commission waiting at the end of your driveway to "help" you take out your garbage.  That's right - socialized garbage is back. Tomorrow, the board will consider a new version of the ordinance that looks almost identical to the old version.  What does that tell us?  The Gwinnett County Commission did not listen to a word that was said to them - loudly and clearly - at the various meetings and hearings in the last 15 months.  They have effectively brushed you aside and will do exactly what they intended to do all along - micromanage your life!

The most substantial difference between the previous ordinance and the current iteration is of little real importance to the average citizen: Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful will not be administering the program.  Whew!  That makes me feel so much better knowing that someone else will deny my economic freedom and tell me I am not capable of handing my own affairs.  At the end of the day, the county will still mandate that you must have garbage service.  The county will still tell you what company you must have as your garbage hauler.  They will still bill you for the service as part of your tax bill.  The only substantive item that appears to be different is that recycling is not mandatory.  Exactly how is this different than the socialistic program the board attempted to foist upon us last year?  In a nutshell- IT'S NOT!

Our commissioners are thumbing their noses at us.  They are saying we listened and we ignored virtually everything you told us.  Why?  Because we are politcians and we know how to live your life better than you do!  And these are supposed to be five REPUBLICANS, one of whom may want to go to Washington as a Congressman!

Unfortunately, this will ordinance will pass because this commission is not accountable to you.  Two members of the board, District 2 Commissioner Bert Nasuti and District 4 Commissioner Kevin Kenerly, are not running for reelection.  They can vote for the ordinance and not have to worry about facing the music from the voters.  That means there only needs to be one other vote to pass socialized garbage.  If Commission Chairman Charles Bannister has already decided not to seek a third term in 2012, he would be just as unaccountable as Nasuti and Kenerly.  I suspect he will not run again, but only he knows for sure.  The other likely source for the third vote is Mike Beaudreau.  Whether he runs for Congress or not, Beaudreau will likely run for a higher office in 2012 given that his interest in Congressman John Linder's congressional seat confirms my suspicions that Beaudreau is aiming politically higher than the county commission.  Granted, running for any office from within Gwinnett would force him to face voters in some way should he vote for socialized garbage. However, if his next race is for a different office, that would provide some insulation from voter angst over socialized garbage.  That leaves Shirley Lasseter who likely will run for relection in 2012.  With a third vote coming from Bannister or Beaudreau, Lasseter would be afforded political cover by being able to vote against the ordinance knowing that it will still pass.  (To be fair to Lasseter, the original socialized garbage ordinance was passed before she joined the Commission.  Thus, she may truly be opposed to the measure.)

The board will vote on this unAmerican ordinance tomorrow.  Conveniently, these sessions do not allow the public to address the commission, so you will not have the opportunity to remind the board that their support of socialized garbage is unacceptable.  Ironically, that is very appropriate given that they chose to ignore you when you did have the opportunity to speak.  Who needs Democrats when you have Republicans like this bunch?

Does Peachtree Corners really need to be a city?

The United Peachtree Corners Civic Association would like to make Peachtree Corners a city. The association is asking the Gwinnett delegation to the Georgia General Assembly to support legislation that would enable the residents of Peachtree Corners to vote on incorporation. This all begs the question: Why? Does Gwinnett County need yet another small city? Do the residents of Peachtree Corners need another layer of government to create additional cost and complexity for them and for those trying to do business and serve the residents of the city? I say resoundingly, no!

State Rep. Tom Rice said that the association wants to be a “city light” and have three main services: “planning and zoning; code enforcement; and trash service.” I must admit, after the Gwinnett County’s socialized garbage debacle, I can understand the desire to have greater control over trash service. However, the last thing Gwinnett needs is an addition to the patchwork of zoning jurisdictions and code enforcement authorities. This adds complexity and, in turn, cost for businesses that have to deal with yet another jurisdiction as they try to serve local customers. Given the reputation of many small-town zoning boards, this additional layer can result in desirable businesses being prevented from opening shop in these communities. If businesses cannot serve a community, residents suffer by not having sufficient local amenities.  Also, as happened in Milton, GA, potential revenue shortfalls are even possible if enough commercial taxpayers are denied access to the area.

Hopefully, the Gwinnett delegation will not give into another unneeded small city in metro Atlanta. It seems to me that these newly created small cities are primarily good for setting up a police department to generate revenue by running speed traps on the roads and highways in their city. Gwinnett already has Duluth and Lawrenceville engaging in excessive traffic enforcement. County residents and visitors who travel in the Peachtree Corners area do not need to deal with another.  Say no to Peachtree Corners, GA.

Gwinnett residents continue to call for choice in garbage provider

The final community forum on Gwinnett's garbage service was held this past Saturday in Suwanee.  Continuing with a common theme that began late last year, county residents continue to demand freedom of choice in choosing their garbage service provider.  Just as Americans across the country are rising up and speaking loudly against Obamacare's government control of healthcare, Gwinnettians continue to loudly say no to government dictating with whom we must do business at the local level as well.  Gwinnett's commissioners are already on thin ice with voters after their poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars highlighted by the recent budget mess.  If they again try to cram socialized garbage down our throats after the overwhelming uproar against their solid waste ordinance, I would not be surprised if voters begin seriously exploring recall initiatives rather than waiting until the next election to bounce them from office.  To this point, the recall sentiment bubbling in Gwinnett has been fairly muted, but if commissioners continue to show callous disregard for citizens of this county, that bubbling could quickly rise to a boiling point.

Advanced Disposal sues Gwinnett County

The second of two garbage haulers awarded contracts under Gwinnett's socialized garbage program has sued Gwinnett County.  Advanced Disposal is seeking "$40 million in damages against the county and the agency that oversaw the operation’s start-up" to cover expenses incurred in ramping-up to serve Gwinnett residents forced by the Board of Commissioners to use Advanced's services.

While I remain vehemently opposed to the board's socialistic garbage program, I cannot argue against the suits being brought by Advanced Disposal and Waste Pro.  Love or hate the solid waste ordinance, these businesses made good faith efforts to prepare to fulfill their contracts with the county.  Though I hate that Gwinnett taxpayers will ultimate be on the hook for any settlements or awards in these cases, we only have our county commissioners to blame for foisting this program upon the citizens of Gwinnett.  Their abysmal leadership on this matter should be front of mind when any member of this gang stands for reelection.  Firing them is our best recourse.

Beaudreau garbage panel - a committee of "yes men?"

Earlier this month, Commissioner Mike Beaudreau's garbage committee held it's final hearing.  The panel hopes to present its findings to the Gwinnett County Commission this week.  Unfortunately, despite loud voices against major tenets of socialized garbage, reports are suggesting that the committee will, for all intents and purposes, sign off on the heinous ordinance that so many Gwinnett residents have made clear that they do not support.

Socialized Garbage Tenet 1 - Mandatory pickup - The committee is reportedly in agreement on mandatory pickup at residences.  They may throw a bone to residents in the form of an opt-out clause for those with access to other disposal options (e.g., a small business owner who has a dumpster at the business).  I do not have a major problem with this if there is a legitimate dumping problem.  I still feel, however, that the county could better use resources wasted on its "Quality of Life" task force to track down those who are dumping illegally.  According to committee member Mack Perry, "...the illegal dumping isn't coming from people who have trash service."  If the county knows this, they can go after those who are guilty and not punish all residents with a government mandate.  

Socialized Garbage Tenet 2 - No Choice in Garbage Hauler - Residents were very clear that they wanted choice in selecting their garbage hauler.  This is one of the most egregious aspects of the ordinance.  However, despite there being little doubt about the feeling of the citizens, the committee, according to the Gwinnett Views blog, is considering an assignment of providers to regions, thus resulting in "one hauler, one neighborhood."  What part of choice does the committee not understand?  We do not want Mike Beaudreau and the rest of the commission to select our garbage hauler!  Reducing neighborhood truck traffic is a red herring used to justify substitution of a government decision for your free choice.  Rather than listen to the residents and respect their strong support of economic freedom of choice, the committee may be set to sign off on a second aspect of socialized garbage.

Socialized Garbage Tenet 3 - Garbage bill included on property tax bill - Another unpopular component of socialized garbage was the inclusion of garbage collection charges on property tax bills.  Here again, the committee may be leaning toward recommending just such a payment mechanism.  Gwinnett Views opines:

The majority of the MBSCT believe the only way to make sure that all of us residents are toeing the line is to put the trash bill on our tax bill.

I am sure that officials will try to justify this requirement by arguing that it simplifies their bill collection responsibilities.  Sorry, but I am not here to serve the government, the government is here to serve the citizens.  Trading our freedom of choice to save government the burden of dealing with those who do not pay is not an acceptable trade.  

Three pillars of socialized garbage, three thumbs up from the Mike Beaudreau committee.  Very interesting given resident opposition and Mack Perry's comment on his blog:

As a member of the committee I think I should tell you that this is not just a committee of a bunch of “Yes Men and Women” who are giving lip service to the commissioners.

Really?  Not a committee of "Yes Men and Women?"  Could have fooled me.  

I could live with mandatory pickup and even billing on my tax statement.  What I cannot quietly accept is the commission telling me who I have to use for garbage service.  Had socialized gone through in January, I would have been assigned to Waste Pro and I saw enough from that company during recent months to know that I would almost certainly not do business with them voluntarily.  Mike Beaudreau and his fellow commissioners should not be able to tell me I must use them.  Much of Gwinnett apparently agrees with me, but the Beaudreau committee apparently did not pay attention to this.

One bit of good news is that the county may be about to agree to an extension of the current garbage system (also known as a competitive market) through the end of the year.  While we cannot be sure that a recrafted solid waste ordinance won't look substantially the same as socialized garbage, at least we can go nine more months without the Gwinnett County Commission sticking its nose in our affairs.  Another advantage may be the reticence of commissioners Bert Nasuti and Kevin Kenerly to back the unpopular aspects of socialized garbage on the eve of potential reelection bids in 2010.

Last garbage committee hearing on March 2

Gwinnett Views has posted (via committe member Mack Perry's blog) information for the last meeting of Mike Beaudreau's garbage committee:

3-2-2009 at GJAC in the auditorium 6:00-9:00 the first 1-1/2 hours are for the committee to hear from the haulers with the public comments portion of the meeting to start around 7:30 to accommodate those citizens that had difficulty getting to a 6:30 meeting.

If you have not checked out Gwinnett Views, I urge you to do so.  I think he may be more incensed about the garbage mess than I am!  He does raise some interesting concerns about just how seriously the county is taking Beaudreau's efforts with the committee.