Left wing radicals to protest Coke meeting

Coca-Cola will hold its annual shareholders meeting Wednesday at Gwinnett Center in Duluth.  Unfortunately, attendees will have to put up with some uninvted guests.  A radical left wing group (is there any other kind of left wing group?) plans to protest Coke's alleged killing, oppressing, polluting, blah, blah, blah...

Here is a tip for anyone that might be going.  The best way to deal with radicals such as the "Campaign to Stop Killer Coke" who live in these anti-capitalist, anti-corporate fantasy worlds...IGNORE THEM.  All they are after is attention and if they don't get it, they will simply go away.

Democrats use unfortunate situation for political points

Last week I blogged about the plight of Eric Tabora and his family.  As I wrote then, the Taboras' situation highlights the need for a change in our immigration laws.  Apparently, some Democrats feel the same but, as is often the case with the left, their solution is the exact opposite of what should be done.  Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) swooped into Georgia to capitalize on the situation, telling a large crowd gathered at a large rally in Norcross:

“Our patience is waning,” Gutierrez told the crowd. “It is time to end the deportation and the separation of families.”

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) didn't have to travel as far to leverage the Tabora situation for political points.  Lewis expressed similar feelings in remarks:

“It’s time for us all to get in trouble,” he told the crowd. “What our government is doing is not right, it is not fair, not just and it must be brought to an end. I will do all that I can to help.”

Here we have two Democrats who would further risk our American identity and culture with increased illegal immigration all in the name of political gain for their party.  (If you doubt that a significant number of those present vote for Democrats, consider the co-opted Obama chants.)  Without a doubt, immigration reform is needed but the answer is not to take actions that would almost certainly promote a flood of illegal immigration.  If the federal government allows "anchor babies" to serve as an automatic free pass for U.S. residency, a fence 100-feet high won't hold back the human tide rushing to the U.S. to give birth to children.

A far better approach is as I suggested last week: eliminate U.S. citizenship for children of parents here illegally, strengthen immigration enforcement, and enhance opportunities for legal immigration to ensure access to the American dream for people throughout the world.  This is a sensible approach and encourages the kind of immigration that enriches America as opposes to risking its cultural identity.

Of course, how often do we see the Democrat Party being reasonable and seeking to embrace aspects of America's heritage when they can do the opposite and garner political gains?

YesVideo to bring new facility, jobs to Norcross

YesVideo, a company "that transfers home videos to DVD and other digital formats," will open a facility in Norcross, creating 300 jobs in the process.  The California-based company hopes to better serve east coast customers from the new location.  YesVideo will receive several government incentives for the facility:

YesVideo, based Santa Clara, will receive a job-training package for employees through the Georgia Quick Start program. Spokesman Roger Brown said it’s too early to say how much that training will be worth.

Gwinnett County also will kick in up to $3,000 in permit fee waivers, said Alfie Meek, the county’s economic development manager.

We often hear liberals decry "corporate welfare" but the incentives for YesVideo provide an excellent example of well-advised government "investment."  I would much prefer to see government seeking to stimulate job creation by helping people develop long-term marketable job skills and supporting businesses that seek to provide goods and services demanded by the market.  This stands in stark contrast to a pork-loaded stimulus package that funds saving a mouse, the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Big Brother system to store your medical records.

Playing catchup on Gwinnett news

Fortunately, my day job has returned to normal, so I hope to get caught up here at the Buzz in the coming days.  And this just after I had finally gotten caught up and cleared a backlog of stories!

In the interest of not falling behind on current events, here is a summary of Gwinnett from the last week and a half with some light commentary.  I have saved the bigger matters for separate posts I hope to have up by the weekend.

Another garbage meeting, same ole topics

Frankly, there is little to say here.  The top issues at the meeting held on Thursday, February 5 were hauler choice - makes perfect sense to me - and truck traffic - I still don't get this one.  The next meeting is tomorrow night, Thursday, February 12 at the George Pierce Community Center in Suwanee.  According to Gwinnett Views, the meeting starts at 6:30.

Gwinnett cities negotiate property tax level with county

Gwinnett cities are negotiating with the county on the level of county property tax their residents have to pay.  At issue is paying full the county tax rate even when some county services are duplicated by municipalities.  Police protection is specifically mentioned.  I think Commission Chairman Charles Bannister makes a valid point in saying, “Even where cities have a police force, you will find the county involved in varying levels with accident investigations, crime scene work, SWAT, the radio system or animal welfare.”  Even if cities agreed that county police would not conduct any law enforcement activities within their city limits, can you imagine the outcry the first time something of major significance happened and the county police did not respond?  Besides, who is going to actually deal with real crime with city police departments occupied with running their speed traps?  I could see a "discount" on county taxes for duplicated services that only occasionally call on similar services from the county but not complete elimination of this portion of the property tax.

Here is a better idea.  Why do we have so many municipalities?  These cities are quite obviously duplicating many services that the county already provides.  This places a greater burden on individuals and companies doing business in Gwinnett because they have to negotiate varying rules, processes and procedures between the various jurisdictions.  Also, look at the shenanigans going on with the Snellville City Council.  Why exactly does a few miles of GA 124 and US 78 need its own government, especially when half of their elected officials behave less maturely than members of the South Gwinnett High School student government?  If you ask me, rather than creating new cities in the state, the Georgia State Legislature should be setting minimum population requirements for municipalities in order to eliminate excessive, inefficient and unnecessary layers of government.

More than 900 Gwinnett inmates to be deported

Federal immigration officials flagged for deportation 915 foreign-born inmates at the Gwinnett County jail during a 26-day surge that ended on Thursday.

Of the inmates identified as being in the country illegally, 489 had a previous criminal history, said Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway.

This is the result of the targeted enforcement effort by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  I am very supportive of Sheriff Conway's effort to get Gwinnett included in the 287(g) immigration enforcement program.  However, not everyone sees things in the same light.

Rev. Tracy Blagec, a spokesperson for Atlantans Building Leadership for Empowerment (ABLE), said she suspects many of the undocumented aliens in the Gwinnett jail committed only traffic violations.

“This is local enforcement trying to enforce something that should be corrected at the national level,” Blagec said.

Those who oppose enhanced immigration enforcement continue to use flimsy excuses for their opposition.  An examination of the list of offenses of those to be deported shows less than 300 of the approximately 900 deportees who stand accused of not having a driver's license, violation of a city or county ordinance, or other traffic violations.  That means that over two-thirds were jailed for more serious crimes.  (You could argue that not having a driver's license is potentially serious because these drivers likely do not have insurance and, in the event of an accident, would be more likely to flee.  Someone involved in an accident with these individuals would likely get stuck with the repair bill.)  Even if we ignored the fact that all of these individuals are here in the U.S. illegally, those who committed more serious violations should forfeit any claim to the benefits of living in America.  If you come to America but will not respect our laws, why should you be allowed to stay?

As for the local enforcement of immigration, Rev. Blagec has a point.  However, with the prospect of immigration enforcement being dealt with in an effective manner by the Obama administration, that leaves no one other than states or local governments to deal with a problem that is placing a large burden on their infrastructure.

Gwinnett agencies to get federal aid

This type of federal aid is hard to oppose.  I have long said that government has a role to help people temporarily when they are in dire straits and cannot help themselves.  Certainly, in the current economic climate, there are many people in this situation.  This type of aid is reasonable and humanitarian and is a far cry from so much of the Democrats' "porkulus" package which is little more than an effort to enlarge the federal government and make Americans increasingly dependent on government.  When they become more dependent on government for their ongoing, non-temporary needs, they become more dependent on the liberal politicians who provide it.

Commission backs Springbrook golf course loan application

The County Commision voted 4-1 to back a loan application by the operators of the Springbrook golf course.  The dissenting vote was by Mike Beaudreau.  I can see arguments on both sides of this one.  I can see how supporting this $250,000 loan keeps alive the possibility that the Springbrook Golf Commission will eventually be able to pay back the entire $3.3 million dollars still owed to Gwinnett County as well as possibly avoiding county liability for an additional $1.7 million.  However, I wonder if this is not throwing good money after bad, especially for a non-critical recreational entity in a weak economy that has already shown an inability to pay its debts.

Commission approves Norcross waste transfer station

In a bit of a surprising move, the Gwinnett County Commission approved a waste transfer station in Norcross next door to a Catholic church.  I have to admit, I have never known for sure where I stand on this one and I would have a hard time criticizing a vote in either direction.  Hopefully, the restrictions on the project will ensure that the property rights of the church are not violated.  Unfortunately, by the time that becomes apparent, it may be too late.  It sounds like we have not heard the last of this one.

Gen. David Petraus to be commencement speaker

Georgia Gwinnett College will welcome Army General David Petraeus as its commencement speaker in May.  The general led the successful surge in Iraq in 2007.  I am pleased our local college bucked the trend in academia to have left-wing graduation speakers.  I suspect that students will have an opportunity to hear some great lessons on leadership from the general.  Maybe we can get some tickets for Gwinnett County commissioners!

Activist group opposes illegal immigrant deportations

Another advocacy group has come to the defense of the illegal aliens that are overrunning Gwinnett's justice system.  Georgia Detention Watch has come out in opposition to the deportation surge being conducted in the Gwinnett County jail by ICE.  The surge is part of the process of Gwinnett County being approved to participate in ICE's 287(g) "program that trains local jailers to begin deportation paperwork."  

A press release issued by Georgia Detention Watch said it “condemns in the strongest terms this effort of expulsion of immigrants, many of whom are hard-working members of our communities.” Georgia Detention Watch bills itself as a coalition that includes activists, community organizers, persons of faith and lawyers.

“We believe local enforcement of federal immigration laws leads to racial profiling as well as erosion of trust between immigrant communities and the police, making our communities less safe,” the press release said.

Ah yes, the "racial profiling" boogeyman again.  This argument is patently absurd with respect to the situation in Gwinnett.  First, everyone in the jail is being screened.   Second, this screening is being done only to those booked into the jail.  The police are not setting up checkpoints randomly across Gwinnett to check immigration paperwork.  Please tell me how this could possibly be profiling of any sort?   The only profile being employed is whether or not one is a human being.  Also, I fail to see the reasoning of how this makes our community less safe.  The program seeks to deport those that have likely committed a crime.  To my logical way of thinking, this would actually improve the safety of Gwinnett County.

Sheriff Butch Conway is often good for a comment and he does not disappoint here:

Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway said the program doesn’t violate human rights or constitute racial profiling. He pointed out that it targets people who have been arrested for a crime.

Those who are here illegally are not immigrants, as this group claims,” Conway said. “An immigrant is someone who has entered the United States legally and has nothing to fear.”

Hammer meet nail.

It is evident that Georgia Detention Watch would have us do nothing about illegal immigration.  Here is the reality, folks: illegal immigration is overrunning Gwinnett's criminal justice system.  According to the Sheriff's Department, "60 percent of the 14,084 foreign nationals that were booked into the Gwinnett jail in 2008 were here illegally."  That is 8,450 illegal immigrants that had to be processed by the system.  That is 8,450 trials which entail court costs, public defender costs, prosecution costs, and jury costs.  The volume of trials increase the demands on Gwinnett residents for jury duty.  Who is paying for all of this?  You and I, the taxpayers of Gwinnett.  In a time when our county budget is under pressure, can we continue to justify this drain on our resources?  This does not even begin to address the impact on Gwinnett County's communities.  

You may think that I simply do not like immigrants.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I have worked with and have known many people of varied ethinicities.  I count them as colleagues, classmates and friends. These individuals came to America legally.  While continuing to embrace their culture and teach others about their heritage, they have assimilated into the American community.  The have learned our common language and pursued the American dream just like many American-born citizens.  I recall a conversation with a coworker a few years ago where he recounted his dream of coming to the United State and ultimately becoming a citizen.  I would venture to guess he "gets" the American ideal better than most of us who were born and raised in this country.  The stance of Georgia Detention Watch is a slap in the face of the millions of people who originally came to this nation as legal immigrants.  

I suspect most legal immigrants came to our country because of the promise American offers.  I am sure many illegal immigrants came for similar reasons, but by overrunning our nation's borders and societal infrastructure, by refusing to learn our language and to become integrated into the rich fabric of our culture, they threaten the very reasons that brought then to this nation in the first place.  Liberal activist organzations like Georgia Detention Watch simply empower this destructive form of immigration.  We must vigorously oppose these groups who would flaunt our laws now while there is something to defend. If we don't, America's beacon of hope and promise to the world will be extinguished.  

Georgia Detention Watch takes exception to local enforcement of immigration law.  Unfortunately, the politicians in Washington have shown they are more interested in catering to potential votes than stand up for America's heritage.  Based on the recent election season, there is little hope this situation will improve and things could well get worse.  Because of this, this battle must be fought at the local level.  I am pleased that Gwinnett is stepping up to the challenge.  While I do not always agree with him, I am thankful that Butch Conway is not the type of leader who will worry whether an organization like Georgia Detention Watch is upset over justice being carried out.  If only all of our politicians had such backbone.

The Buzz referenced in 11Alive story on retreat

Thursday night, the Gwinnett County Commission held a public meeting to discuss the results of their budget retreat at Brasstown Valley Resort in the north Georgia mountains.  I had received calls that day from two 11Alive News reporters, Jerry Carnes and Jon Shirek, who were reporting on the retreat.  In Mr. Shirek's voicemail to me, he informed me he was at GJAC to cover the meeting and wanted to know if I could stop by and speak with him if I was attending.  I returned his call and let him know that I had some work commitments and was not going to be able to make the meeting.  I did not think much else about it, but, as I was driving home later that night, I saw an 11Alive news van leaving the courthouse area.  Due to the time (after 11P), I assumed they had done a live shot for the evening news, so after getting home I set my DVR to record the overnight rebroadcast so I could see the report.  I forgot about the recording until early this morning when I pulled up the Thursday night's news and fast-forwarded to the piece on the commission's retreat.  Needless to say, I was stunned when I saw the Gwinnett Buzz on the news and heard Mr. Shirek quote a part of my Tuesday post on the topic.  I could not help but chuckle at the characterization of myself as a "citizen watchdog."

Because I could not be at GJAC Thursday night, I wanted to take a moment and provide a bit of context that I would communicated to Mr. Shirek had I met with him.  I want to emphasize that I recognize that $15,000 as a quantity of money is a fraction of a drop in the Gwinnett budget bucket.  My dismay over the commissioners' retreat is not based on the actual amount of money that was spent, but the incredibly poor leadership the retreat demonstrates on the part of our county leaders.  In fact, the cost of the retreat works out to be about two cents per Gwinnett resident.  I know this is a regular off-site meeting that the commissioners hold.  In previous years when there was not a very tight budget situation, I have not been too worked up over it.  However, when elected officials are talking about a broad variety of service cuts, some of which are legitimate functions of our county government, as well as raising the possibility of a tax increase, those officials should lead by example and not send the mixed message that the taxpayers should bear the burden of the budget crunch but the officials don't have to do likewise.  This is similar to public outrage at corporate CEOs taking multi-million dollar bonuses while laying off staff.  I actually see the government case to be worse than the corporate case.  Corporations, by and large, receive revenue from their customers because those customers choose to do business with the corporation.  Government receives its revenue by force of law (never mind that some liberals refer to our taxes as patriotic "contributions").  This places a higher responsibility for stewardship of those funds on the government.

Here is the 11Alive story for those of you that missed it.

Commissioners bring national shame to Gwinnett

Socialized garbage is no longer only a matter of local outrage for Gwinnettians.  In looking over a thread at the TalkGwinnett forum, I found that the socialized garbage story has gone national.  Apparently, on December 5, the massively popular Drudge Report linked to an AJC article on the potential $500 fine for not recycling.  Also, the conservative blog RedState.com posted an article called "RINOs Are Real: Meet Charles Bannister and the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners."  (For those not familiar with the term, RINO stands for Republican in Name Only and is often applied to liberal Republicans.)  The post offers some stinging commentary on the commission actions regarding the waste ordinance:

Ladies and gentlemen, a Republican County Commission Chairman in a Republican county in a Republican state is making it a crime to not recycle.

The kicker, of course, is that the county is also going to start putting the cost of garbage collection in property tax bills so residents won’t be able to keep track of the costs.

Let’s compare that to the Republican leaning county of Cobb, which is just west of Gwinnett. There, a private recycler is required to offer recycling services, but it is not mandatory.

In Democrat DeKalb County, recycling is voluntary with a $30.00 start-up fee for recycling containers.

In Democrat Fulton County, recycling must be offered by private haulers, but it is not mandatory.

In Gwinnett County? You get fined $500.00. And that was a Republican brain child.

I agree with the RedState blogger: apparently, Charles Bannister and the rest of the Gang of Five (I am borrowing that term from one of my readers...you know who you are...I like it!) have forgotten what it means to be a Republican, though, given the current state of the GOP, they are hardly alone.  But that is a topic for another day and another blog.

Reminder - Vote for Saxby!

Fellow Gwinnetians, today is a critical day not just for Gwinnett and Georgia, but for our nation.  As you are most likely fully aware after a month of your mailbox and voicemail being bombarded with mailers and robocalls, today is the U.S. Senate runoff between our Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin.  With the outcome of the Minnesota Senate race still undetermined, Saxby could be the last barrier to the Democrats getting a fillibuster-proof Senate, i.e. a blank check in Congress.  Even if you have issues with some of Saxby's particular votes (e.g., he has taken heat over the Wall Street bailout, a package which I feel was justified in some form), I urge you to look at the bigger picture and at the realities of party politics.  America needs Saxby in office to allow the Republicans some countermeasure against ultra-liberal, big government legislation that Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will surely introduce in Congress.  Coupled with a President-elect who has a very liberal history, the need for the ability to slowdown the Democrats should be evident to the common-sense conservatives who make up the majority of Georgians.

Today, Georgia has an enormous opportunity to help America and those that support our heritage of limited government and liberty.  Gwinnett County plays a big part of that as a key conservative voting area.  Gwinnettians can help deliver the runoff for Saxby by turning out in huge numbers at the polls today.  So, Gwinnett, don't let Georgia and America down - vote for Saxby!

Good night for Gwinnett

With nearly all precincts reporting, Commission Chairman Charles Bannister and District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau have easily won reelection.  In school board races, District 1 board member Carol Boyce and District 3 board member Mary Kay Murphy both won fairly easy victories.  In School Board District 5 things appear to be a bit closer, but Louse Radloff appears headed to victory over Democrat challenger Ravindra Kuma.  Tom Lawler will hold onto his position as Superior Court Clerk.

However, not all incumbents fared well.  In a poor move by Gwinnett voters, Richard Winegarden will fall to Karen Beyers, a candidate who had no judicial experience coming into this election.

In the SPLOST vote, Gwinnett voters extended the 1-cent sales taxes by nearly 20,000 votes.

On a state level, Saxby Chambliss thankfully was relected to the United States Senate.  This was important to keeping enough Republicans in the Senate to maintain the threat of a filibuster against any extremely liberal legislation from Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and their ilk.  Congressman John Linder, who represents a large portion of the county, defeated Doug Heckman handily. All three Georgia constitutional amendments appear likely to pass, though Amendments 2 and 3 are a little tight with about 10% of the precincts still out.  I supported, with some concerns, Amendments 2 and 3 and am glad to see them gain approval.  However, I am disappointed to see Amendment 1 pass with its promise of placing additional funding responsibility for local schools on taxpayers throughout the state.  Amendment 2 was very important to providing the funding needed for the TADs that Gwinnett voters approved in the primary in July.

Thus, overall, a positive night for Gwinnett amidst a sad night for America overall.  Hopefully, as Republican conservatives seek to take back our national party and win back the voters that the big spending GOP of the last six years have allowed to flock to Barack Obama, Gwinnett and it's strong conservative base can play a role in this effort.  Winning back the wayward center right voters is so critical to protecting the freedoms and values that America holds dear and that are sure to be threatened by the liberal Democrats starting in January.