I got a new newspaper job in mid-January, just in time for Sunday alcohol sales becoming a big issue in Georgia. Many of my early columns dealt with the Sunday sales issue.
I ended up write a whole bunch of columns about Sunday alcohol sales, to the point I suspect my readers are sick and tired of hearing about the subject. I think I'll content myself with writing columns about other relevant subjects until we get close to the fall vote in Johns Creek on whether to allow Sunday sales.
Here are the links, with some background material for each one:
This is a shock--I agree with Nathan Deal
This one was the first, around the time Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced he would sign a bill allowing local communities to vote on Sunday sales. I supported Karen Handel against Deal in the governor's race, so the fact I was willing to back Deal was pretty darn significant. I also decided to engage opponents of Sunday sales--most of whom base their position on their religion--on their own ground, to prove drinking alcohol is not something unholy and it is not in Christians' best interest to support state establishment of religion.
Continuing Sunday alcohol ban bad for the state
In this one, I made an argument in favor of allowing Sunday alcohol sales on secular grounds--open government (when the Republican caucus tried to bury the bill), tax revenue, and the like. I also used a quote from Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, whom I met at a Georgia Press Association function in the capital and asked about Sunday sales.
This one was the most popular in terms of Tweets and Facebook recommendations.
Both columns got me the attention of Georgians for Sunday Alcohol Sales, whose leaders asked for permission to send the columns to other newspapers in support of their cause. I don't know if any of these ran in other newspapers, but Spalding County Commissioner Bob Gilreath did post my first column on his online newsletter/blog Griffin Journal.
Johns Creek can vote on Sunday sales this November
Eventually, thanks to Rich Sullivan and Georgians for Sunday Alcohol Sales, the Georgia House permitted a vote. As I expected, the bill allowing Sunday sales passed. Since the Senate had already passed it and Deal had promised to sign it, I figured it would be a done deal.
(That's not always a good idea, but this time it turned out all right.)
I shifted my focus to Johns Creek and why it would be a good idea to pass Sunday sales.
Sunday alcohol vote this year in residents' hands
The Johns Creek City Council discussed Sunday sales one evening but didn't take any action. In response, I wrote the above column.
At the next meeting, the council members agreed to put Sunday alcohol sales on the ballot. This led to the following column, the last I intend to write on the subject for awhile:
Johns Creek City Council's alcohol votes will benefit city
Hopefully the votes in Johns Creek and other communities and the events that follow will show that Sunday alcohol sales are not going to be destructive to the cities and counties that allow them and will not infringe on Christianity.
About the title of this post, it's an allusion to the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche discussed the "will to power," which according to the Wikipedia entry on the topic was in part the will to achieve. Although I have no way of knowing the impact my writing had in getting Sunday sales passed at the state level, I do have it on good authority that my column exhorting people to tell the city council they wanted the chance to vote on Sunday sales was pivotal in getting it voted on.
I think I've helped accomplish something, even if in the grand scheme of things it's not that big a deal.
If any of you want to Facebook-recommend the above articles, that 'd be nice, although they're a little out-of-date now. Definitely visit them, to increase the number of hits on the company web-site that come from here.
Showing posts with label alcohol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alcohol. Show all posts
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Proposal to Keep Cobb's Libraries Safe...
Recently, I got quite a scare. Cobb County, where I grew up, was considering closing most of its library system in order to fill a $31.5 million budget gap.
Proposed Cobb budget plan would close most libraries, slightly increase taxes
(Luckily, the Cobb government found a way to keep the libraries open, although cutting public-safety was not the ideal way to do it.)
Given I spent many hours haunting the now-closed Merchant's Walk Library (replaced by a new library nearby) and the Mountain View library that would have survived even if the cuts were implemented, this was not something I liked at all.
And cutting libraries is a bad idea for more than just personal reasons. Given how job applications are increasingly becoming online-only, libraries provide the major opportunity for people who don't have computers (or who have dumped their Internet connections to cut costs) to apply for jobs. The unemployed finding jobs means tax revenue and consumer spending, which means more tax revenue. If the county government made it more difficult for those without home computers to find jobs, it would be shooting itself in the foot.
Furthermore, libraries provide a ready source for books for students in the local schools, who will need to use them for required-reading assignments and research for their papers. This is especially applicable to poorer students who may not have lots of books at home or Internet access and who might not have ready access to a car to get them to a farther-away library.
And finally, libraries provide major opportunities for those who seek to learn outside of school. I learned a colossal amount of things I would never have learned otherwise if I did not have access to the library system. Over the years, I probably read thousands of books. And this wasn't just for pure entertainment or the joy of learning--many of those books had to do with improving my personal writing. The document "General Writing Tips" on my computer is full of bits of useful advice I'd gotten from books I would not have even known existed if I hadn't gone wandering the shelves--it's a file I really should read more regularly.
Without the library system, I would have never reached my full potential. And I had parents who cared a great deal about my education and put a whole lot of effort into it--when I was very young, my mother read to me an hour per day. Someone not similarly blessed would be in need of the library system even more.
Now, libraries are government programs and require tax monies to sustain them. As a conservative/Libertarian, I'm not a fan of high taxes and generally believe low taxes promote economic growth.
(And lest anyone start, Reagan and Bush 2.0 both spent colossal sums, the former on the military expansion that pressed the Soviets so and Social Security and the latter on the Iraq War, which was truly a massive drain. The fact both ran up deficits does not disprove supply-side economics, since both were big spenders. If a tightwad president still ran deficits under a low-tax regime, THEN the anti-supply-siders would have a much stronger point.)
I will admit, there comes a point when taxes are too low to gather the necessary revenue--the far left end of the Laffer Curve. Although I lived in Cobb County most of my life, I'm not familiar with the tax rates so I cannot comment intelligently on whether or not they're too high or too low.
However, there's a way to increase Cobb County's income without raising taxes per se.
House gives final approval to Sunday alcohol sales bill
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, allowing Sunday alcohol sales could raise $3.4 million to $4.8 million for the state of Georgia. The AJC quoted the group's vice-president, Ben Jenkins, as saying this was "state tax revenues." This means there are additional monies to be had for local governments too, on top of the money going to Atlanta.
If Cobb County were to legalize Sunday alcohol sales, it would raise additional funds. I don't know how much, since I am not familiar with how alcohol is taxed, but in these economic times, every little bit of extra money helps. Legalizing Sunday alcohol sales would provide additional revenue for the county to provide needed services--not just libraries, but others as well.
I no longer live in Cobb County, so my voice would carry less weight than those living there still. Those of who do live in Cobb County, if you could contact the county commissioners with this suggestion, it would be very helpful for the long-term future of your community.
Proposed Cobb budget plan would close most libraries, slightly increase taxes
(Luckily, the Cobb government found a way to keep the libraries open, although cutting public-safety was not the ideal way to do it.)
Given I spent many hours haunting the now-closed Merchant's Walk Library (replaced by a new library nearby) and the Mountain View library that would have survived even if the cuts were implemented, this was not something I liked at all.
And cutting libraries is a bad idea for more than just personal reasons. Given how job applications are increasingly becoming online-only, libraries provide the major opportunity for people who don't have computers (or who have dumped their Internet connections to cut costs) to apply for jobs. The unemployed finding jobs means tax revenue and consumer spending, which means more tax revenue. If the county government made it more difficult for those without home computers to find jobs, it would be shooting itself in the foot.
Furthermore, libraries provide a ready source for books for students in the local schools, who will need to use them for required-reading assignments and research for their papers. This is especially applicable to poorer students who may not have lots of books at home or Internet access and who might not have ready access to a car to get them to a farther-away library.
And finally, libraries provide major opportunities for those who seek to learn outside of school. I learned a colossal amount of things I would never have learned otherwise if I did not have access to the library system. Over the years, I probably read thousands of books. And this wasn't just for pure entertainment or the joy of learning--many of those books had to do with improving my personal writing. The document "General Writing Tips" on my computer is full of bits of useful advice I'd gotten from books I would not have even known existed if I hadn't gone wandering the shelves--it's a file I really should read more regularly.
Without the library system, I would have never reached my full potential. And I had parents who cared a great deal about my education and put a whole lot of effort into it--when I was very young, my mother read to me an hour per day. Someone not similarly blessed would be in need of the library system even more.
Now, libraries are government programs and require tax monies to sustain them. As a conservative/Libertarian, I'm not a fan of high taxes and generally believe low taxes promote economic growth.
(And lest anyone start, Reagan and Bush 2.0 both spent colossal sums, the former on the military expansion that pressed the Soviets so and Social Security and the latter on the Iraq War, which was truly a massive drain. The fact both ran up deficits does not disprove supply-side economics, since both were big spenders. If a tightwad president still ran deficits under a low-tax regime, THEN the anti-supply-siders would have a much stronger point.)
I will admit, there comes a point when taxes are too low to gather the necessary revenue--the far left end of the Laffer Curve. Although I lived in Cobb County most of my life, I'm not familiar with the tax rates so I cannot comment intelligently on whether or not they're too high or too low.
However, there's a way to increase Cobb County's income without raising taxes per se.
House gives final approval to Sunday alcohol sales bill
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, allowing Sunday alcohol sales could raise $3.4 million to $4.8 million for the state of Georgia. The AJC quoted the group's vice-president, Ben Jenkins, as saying this was "state tax revenues." This means there are additional monies to be had for local governments too, on top of the money going to Atlanta.
If Cobb County were to legalize Sunday alcohol sales, it would raise additional funds. I don't know how much, since I am not familiar with how alcohol is taxed, but in these economic times, every little bit of extra money helps. Legalizing Sunday alcohol sales would provide additional revenue for the county to provide needed services--not just libraries, but others as well.
I no longer live in Cobb County, so my voice would carry less weight than those living there still. Those of who do live in Cobb County, if you could contact the county commissioners with this suggestion, it would be very helpful for the long-term future of your community.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
A Belated St. Patrick's Day Funny Video...
Happy belated St. Patrick's Day. Hopefully this video will be both educational and entertaining.
Here's the video's YouTube page.
It's entitled "A Biologist's St. Patrick's Day Song."
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Moving On Up In the World...
I recently wrote a second column on Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia for the Johns Creek Herald. The first column was an attempt to engage opponents of Sunday alcohol sales--who are primarily motivated by religion--on their own ground. I pointed out that since Jesus turned water into wine, Sunday alcohol sales do not represent an infringement on the Sabbath, and that Christians should be leery of attempts to impose religious views on wider society due to past persecutions at the hands of pagans and rivals within Christianity.
This is a shock--I agree with Nathan Deal
This column takes a secular approach--I point out how the ban on Sunday alcohol sales deprives the state of needed tax revenue and how the Republicans in the Georgia Senate, who decided in a party caucus to not bring the bill to the floor rather than actually voting on it, are violating the principles of open government.
Continuing Sunday alcohol ban bad for the state
Both of my columns were picked up by the Georgians for Sunday Alcohol Sales Facebook group, which organized a protest at the Georgia Capitol the week before last if I remember right. Between that and the fact I posted both columns on the Facebook page of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal's press secretary (who I figured would appreciate positive attention given to his boss, who said he would sign a bill to allow local votes), I've gotten a lot of Facebook recommendations and tweets.
Things got better. Georgians for Sunday Alcohol Sales is conducting a media campaign outside of Metro Atlanta, where most of the opposition to allowing local votes on Sunday alcohol sales is based. They called the other day asking for permission to use my column. They're going to submit it to 300 radio stations and newspapers and give full credit and attribution.
Not only will this hopefully turn the tide in favor of allowing Sunday alcohol sales, but it will get my name out there and, since my publisher allows me to include my blog URL at the end of every column, more exposure here.
Life is good right now...
This is a shock--I agree with Nathan Deal
This column takes a secular approach--I point out how the ban on Sunday alcohol sales deprives the state of needed tax revenue and how the Republicans in the Georgia Senate, who decided in a party caucus to not bring the bill to the floor rather than actually voting on it, are violating the principles of open government.
Continuing Sunday alcohol ban bad for the state
Both of my columns were picked up by the Georgians for Sunday Alcohol Sales Facebook group, which organized a protest at the Georgia Capitol the week before last if I remember right. Between that and the fact I posted both columns on the Facebook page of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal's press secretary (who I figured would appreciate positive attention given to his boss, who said he would sign a bill to allow local votes), I've gotten a lot of Facebook recommendations and tweets.
Things got better. Georgians for Sunday Alcohol Sales is conducting a media campaign outside of Metro Atlanta, where most of the opposition to allowing local votes on Sunday alcohol sales is based. They called the other day asking for permission to use my column. They're going to submit it to 300 radio stations and newspapers and give full credit and attribution.
Not only will this hopefully turn the tide in favor of allowing Sunday alcohol sales, but it will get my name out there and, since my publisher allows me to include my blog URL at the end of every column, more exposure here.
Life is good right now...
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Two Opinion Columns I've Written
I've recently gotten a new job in the northern suburbs of Metro Atlanta, working for a chain of weekly newspapers. As part of my job responsibilities, I will be writing a column for my paper twice a month.
Here's the first column, written about how I interviewed Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann and took the opportunity to examine a whole of Western fiction at a local library.
http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-c-2011-02-03-185706.114126-sub-Interview-leads-to-book-find-at-Spruill-Oaks-Library.html
Here's the second column, which I posted online today and will be published in print this week. It's about Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia and why local communities should have the chance to vote on allowing them.
http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-c-2011-02-15-185882.114126-sub-This-is-a-shock-I-agree-with-Nathan-Deal.html
I'm pleased with this one, since it's gotten 26 Facebook recommendations in a few hours and has been tweeted five times (I've only tweeted it once, so that means four people like it enough to pass it along).
Especially spiffy is that I'm allowed to put my blog link at the end of each column. I don't think the first column attracted many readers here, but the second one has attracted eight already and it's only been a few hours.
Here's the first column, written about how I interviewed Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann and took the opportunity to examine a whole of Western fiction at a local library.
http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-c-2011-02-03-185706.114126-sub-Interview-leads-to-book-find-at-Spruill-Oaks-Library.html
Here's the second column, which I posted online today and will be published in print this week. It's about Sunday alcohol sales in Georgia and why local communities should have the chance to vote on allowing them.
http://www.northfulton.com/Articles-c-2011-02-15-185882.114126-sub-This-is-a-shock-I-agree-with-Nathan-Deal.html
I'm pleased with this one, since it's gotten 26 Facebook recommendations in a few hours and has been tweeted five times (I've only tweeted it once, so that means four people like it enough to pass it along).
Especially spiffy is that I'm allowed to put my blog link at the end of each column. I don't think the first column attracted many readers here, but the second one has attracted eight already and it's only been a few hours.
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