And the state of the state is...
Editor's Box
By Lindy Dugger
[email protected]
Assistant Editor
 I've been thinking about politics and elections in general a lot lately and with all the ridiculousness that seems to be coming from the government these days, I can't help but wonder, what does this country, even this state, need, and how well do we know the people we elect? And most of all, what the hell are they doing anyway?
This is the first presidential election in which I am eligible to vote, something I surely intend to do. A friend of my family is running as a Republican candidate for Floyd County Sheriff. While at this point I don't even know his stance on any issues, I find myself considering giving him my vote, simply because I know him to be an honest man.
CSPAN broadcast Howard Dean meeting his Iowa constituency. I saw these people tell Dean they loved him and ask him questions they already knew the answers to and then tell him about their brother's farm. It led me to wonder if all this country really needs is someone to once every now and again get on the bullhorn and holler, �RELAX! EVERYTHING WILL BE OK! EVERYTHING IS JUST FINE!"
Most of Georgia's politicians are easily accessible, willing to speak or meet with you via phone or Internet and even in person. We might be acquainted with our politicians, but do we know them? Fun fact of the day: former Georgia senator Bob Barr is now the defense attorney for Chester Doles, former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Georgia State Government could be considered one of the weakest in the nation. The legislature only meets 40 days out of the year. All the top state executives are independently elected, thus all officials have their own agendas and platforms, creating an unhappy and usually unproductive working environment.
God flooded the entire world in 40 working days, so what have these people done?
With a little research I have found that so far House Bill 1176 passed, which added blind persons to the list of individuals allowed to park in handicapped parking spaces. Proposed House Bill 1101 makes worm farming officially a branch of the agricultural industry, and the Green Tree Frog is now on the way to becoming the state amphibian. Nationally, the United States has more laws governing sexual behavior than all the countries of Europe combined, and now I'm hearing a rumor about banning same-sex marriages...
That is not everything the legislature has done this year, and by all means, I'm not bashing them. They do a lot of good things. Without the HOPE scholarship, I wouldn't be in school. I'm just curious, that's all. Seems to me as though there are more important things to focus on.
We vote to allow certain people to run our lives, in an indirect sort of way, at our discretion. Who are these people and are they doing what we pay them to do? We ought to keep an eye on 'em. Remember when they changed the state flag when no one was looking? Who knows what is next... A ban on naming your boy Sue? The adoption of a new state symbol, but this time it's the solar powered flashlight? Ladies and gentlemen by 2010 it will be illegal for your coaster to stick to the bottom of your cup...
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