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Education
Social
Problems Georgia's
Economy Governance-
How We Are Governed
FOCUS ON SOCIAL PROBLEMS
In the section "Georgia:
Where Are We Now: Social Issues", I made the case that poverty
is the number one social problem that Georgia must solve. To refresh
your memory, let me offer a few reminders.
Poverty is the
source of crime in our neighborhoods, which leads to under-manned
law enforcement, over-burdened court systems and over-crowded jails
and prisons. Poverty is the source of children who under-perform,
fall behind and stay behind in our schools. Ultimately, they fail.
But, before they do, they drag down test scores and consume a myriad
of costly resources dedicated to helping them succeed. Therefore,
poverty is the source of high school drop-outs and an under-educated
population, too. Both have great negative impact on Georgia's
ability to attract new industry and, therefore, deprives Georgia of
good paying jobs. Poverty is the source of births to unwed mothers,
child abuse, spousal abuse, and drug abuse. All of these, and many
more, lead to the ever-increasing need for more and larger social
programs, social workers and bureaucratic institutions to support
them.
Poverty is misery. Poverty breeds misery. Poverty is
extensive in Georgia. And, the impoverished are the fastest growing
segment of Georgia's population. Poverty is expensive. Government
assistance programs consume 25% of the state's budget. To make
matters worse, they have already out-grown our ability to manage
them and continue to grow at rates that will continue to grow in
costs. But, those are direct costs. There are also indirect costs.
Our criminal justice system consumes another 8% of the
budget. Additionally, poverty drives of the cost of education by
tens of millions of dollars dedicated to programs designed to
accommodate the special needs of socio-economically depressed
children. Lastly, the cost to employers is immeasurable.
Yes,
these facts can harden your heart toward those that are
impoverished. But, neither contempt nor pity will change the reality
of the situation. Given a choice, no one living in poverty would
have chosen that lifestyle. They would have chosen ours. But,
generation upon generation of families living in poverty creates its
own culture. If you don't buy that, replay your mental video images
of the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. It was a
natural disaster that transformed into a national tragedy- a chaotic
state of lawlessness! Why? Poverty.
If your heart is to be
hardened, direct those emotions to your leaders- state and national.
Poverty continues to thrive because it has been tolerated. It is
tolerated because the impoverished have no political power.
Regardless, it must be tolerated no longer. For the good of those
living in poverty, the good of taxpaying Georgians who absorb the
financial burden of poverty and for the good of every Georgians
future, we must make our best effort to reduce levels of poverty. If
for no other reason, we should make it a State of Georgia priority
simply because it is the right thing to do!
It will take time
and it's going to cost us. However, setting the mechanisms in motion
now will be the least expensive approach and consume the shortest
amount of time ever needed.
The primary mechanism is
education. My ideas for using education as the mechanism to
eliminate poverty have already been disclosed. (See "Education
as a Means to Eliminate Poverty")
However, new mechanisms
in education alone are not the only new mechanisms we need to
pursue. That is not simply my opinion, history has taught us.
History also taught us that "feed 'em less, feed 'em more", nor
forcing them to work minimum wage jobs are viable solutions.
Therefore, what is?
"Strong Families, Strong Communities"
It is no great revelation that children raised in households
headed by two educated parents perform at higher levels of
achievement in school, are better socially and psychologically
adjusted, are less likely to become part of the criminal element and
are overwhelmingly more likely to live fulfilled, successful and
meaningful lives! Therefore, one component of my vision to reduce
levels of poverty is promoting the family unit. I call it my
"Fractured Families" initiative. Here are the
components.
- Adding "marriage" to existing sex education curriculum taught
in Georgia's Public Schools.
- Mandate the inclusion of a 1-hour non-credit course on
marriage and divorce to all degreed and certificated programs of
study within every college and university of the University System
of Georgia and institutions of the Department of Technical and
Adult Education.
- Strengthen marriage laws. The debate will
rage. I have ideas and I am aware of several different initiatives
presently on-going in communities throughout Georgia. Each has
good ideas. Each is well intentioned. As are my ideas, none may be
perfect. That is immaterial. An effective approach needs to be
decided upon and enacted legislatively. It may not be easy to
resolve. So be it. Where there's a will, there's a way. I have the
"will" to eliminate poverty and all of the issues that negatively
impact Georgia's children. I believe those are shared concerns.
Initiatives to strengthen families through strengthening and
preserving marriages are necessary. I will lead that effort to an
effective solution, which I believe should include, as a minimum:
- Establishment of "think it over" period between obtaining a
marriage license and the wedding date.
- Counseling conducted by licensed counselors or clergy that
contain specified topics should be required during the "think it
over" period. One of the topics should be divorce laws and
long-term consequences of divorce when children are involved.
Applicants should be tested and receive a passing grade before
they are allowed to marry.
- I would produce a video depicting real life interviews with
divorcees and children of divorcees and require it to be shown to
applicants. This is an "in your face, this is what it's really
like" video.
- Strengthening divorce laws when minor
children are involved. Divorce is already an extremely intrusive
proceeding. Unfortunately, intrusion ends with division of
property, financial support and visitation issues. I would like to
see the intrusiveness increased to provide for more long-term
involvement of non-custodial parents in the raising of their
children.
- Legal separation times should be lengthened unless spousal
abuse and/or child abuse has occurred.
- As a couple, parents would be required to attend and pay for
pre-divorce counseling and view the video on divorce required by
marriage licensing laws.
- When it is geographically possible, the non-custodial parent
should be required to participate in the education of
non-custodial children and be as equally accountable as the
custodial parent. For example, non-custodial parents would be
required to sign report cards, attend PTA meetings, have
mandatory periodic parent-teacher meetings, and also be required
to introduce themselves to their child's teachers.
- Yes, these actions are intrusive and impose great
inconvenience on non-custodial parents. I intended that to be
the case. These actions are driven by lessons learned. I have
personally interviewed divorcees who had been divorced for
several years and had minor children at the time they divorced.
I asked each the same question. "If you could return to the
months leading up to your divorce and someone could fast forward
10 years after your divorce and show you your life as it is now,
would you have done anything differently?" The answer was always
the same. "Yeah, we would have made a better effort to work it
out!" Most had remarried and divorced again. Only a few were
remarried and well-adjusted in their new marriages. Their
stories need to be told. Perhaps some marriages can be saved and
some children's lives lived out to a better outcome. It's worth
the investment to try.
Education is a longer-term solution to poverty. Strengthening
families initiatives are a shorter-term attempt at reducing poverty.
Granted, my ideas are intrusive and will be highly controversial.
Nonetheless, it will begin the debate. It will also identify those
that truly want to solve poverty and those that don't. Those that do
will have ideas, too. They need to be on the table and they need to
be heard. I will listen. In the meantime, there are some problems
that are rooted in poverty that we must deal with now. Let's take a
look at them.
Lawlessness, Illegal Drugs and Gangs
My commitment to Georgians is to remain focused on solving
problems that have major impact on the future prosperity and quality
of life in Georgia. My list of initiatives under the umbrella of
"crime" is short. But, it is on target and represents the focus I
committed to pursue.
We cannot afford lawlessness and anarchy
in the event Georgia should experience a disaster similar to New
Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Paper contingency plans
are worthless, unless they are complemented by effective leadership.
When one of Georgia's mayors issues a mandatory evacuation order,
people must respond. Unfortunately, we have created a culture that
no longer respects and, therefore no longer responds to authority.
To set the stage, I am an advocate of the "Broken Windows" theory to
make the public accept authority of law enforcement as a way of
life. We have gone way too far in accommodation of criminal's
"rights" and taking the "soft" approach. As a result, law and order
suffers. That must change. In emergencies, people must respond to
the directives of authority. They will only do so if respect for law
enforcement officers and authority in general becomes a way of life.
When thousands of people's lives are endangered there is no time to
question authority. To wit: had the plan been thoroughly conceived
and executed and the population respectful of authority, there would
not have been a chaotic state in New Orleans. Thousands of lives
would have been saved preemptively. It would have been unnecessary
to divert massive relief resources to rescue missions.
We've
spent enough money and enough time talking about it. It's time to
get it done. Part of the strategy of establishing law and order in
our communities has to do with elimination of gangs and drugs.
- "Crime Busters". Illegal drugs and gangs have
had their run of Georgia. Enough is enough. It's time to end their
reign. I will establish a special unit known as "Crime Busters".
It will be an elite unit of fifty or more highly trained officers.
Their mission will be to eliminate gangs and illegal drugs in
Georgia. I will not disclose the strategy at anytime prior to
formation of the force. But, Georgians, you can rest assured, the
mission will be accomplished. Like you, I want them gone. Unlike
you, it will be my responsibility to get it done. "Crime Busters"
is the tough approach. But, lesser degrees of toughness can be an
effective mechanism, too. That's what the next initiative is.
- "Dope? No Hope!" This is an innovative
bottoms-up idea shared with me by Bishop James Swanson of the
Knoxville, Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church.
(Bishop Swanson spent 17 years of his life ministering to the
needs of folks in Columbus, Georgia.) There are no costs involved.
Citizens ban together to put the spotlight on "crack houses"
through protest marches. Police observe to protect marchers. It
worked. It's a great idea. There are more great ideas. We need to
hear them, share them and implement them where feasible. "Strong
Communities, Strong Georgia!": Empowering Georgia's citizens to
make a difference.
- "Drug Court". People make mistakes in their
lives. I know. I have. Some mistakes are a product of youth. Some
of those mistakes should not result in a "scarlet letter" for
life. There must be effective mechanisms to give those that have
learned from their mistakes and want to re-enter mainstream lives
as productive citizens a meaningful chance to do so. Many drug
offenses fall into that category. I know. I have witnessed it. The
good news is: a visionary and innovative mechanism already exists.
It is called "Drug Court". Following is some information about
Drug Court that I learned first-hand.
Drug Courts presently
exist in nearly twenty jurisdictions throughout Georgia. The
program is an alternative to prison offered to first time felony
drug offenders. Participation is voluntary. Participants are
convicted felons. The program is an intense five phase, two-year
program. During the first phase, participants must attend daily
counseling sessions and appear weekly before a superior court
judge. I have witnessed several proceedings. The program is tough.
Success rates are high and immensely encouraging. Drug Courts are
truly the first program I have witnessed that I was 100% convinced
of being effective. Drug Court is cheaper than incarceration. I
would like to see Drug Courts fully funded in every jurisdiction
that wants it. Of course, as our Crime Busters program takes
effect and the illegal drug problem diminishes, courts will be
phased out. Actually, Drug Court's goal must be to put itself out
of business!
"Last Chance" Program
During the occasions that I observed Drug Court proceedings, I
was struck by a realization of how destructive illegal drugs were.
If you had assembled participants in the program at any venue other
than a courtroom, you would have had the same impression as me:
these were not criminals. These were average men and women, young
and old, black and white, that had made mistakes in their lives.
But, they were basically good people. Unfortunately, the mistake
they made was to an addiction that transformed them into someone
they otherwise would never have become. One thing led to another.
Soon their lives were ruined. They were convicts. They were felons.
They were labeled for life. Fortunately, for those that chose Drug
Court, they had a chance to right their lives. They had a chance to
get this ugly phase of their lives behind them without having
experienced time in prison. Drug Court is tough, but it is a
chance.
I wondered how many convicted felons were in prison
that didn't have the option of a Drug Court. I wondered how many
prisoners were incarcerated that were just good people who had made
a mistake, learned their lesson and, if given another chance, were
ready to become law-abiding and productive citizens?
My guess
is the number may be much larger than we may believe it to be.
Therefore, part of my vision is a bold new approach to
re-introducing convicted felons into our society. I call it the
"Last Chance" program. Here is the concept.
- The corrections department in conjunction
with the State Board of Prisons and Parole is tasked to identify
prisoners that they believe are in this category. Of course, there
must be qualifying criteria for the type of crime the prisoner
committed, but the length of time remaining on the prisoners
sentence is immaterial. I would be willing to commute sentences
based on recommendations that subscribe to our pre-agreed
criteria. The prisoner applies to participate in the "Last Chance"
program. To do so, he must also enroll in a GED program. He
becomes eligible once he achieves his GED and has met model
behavior expectations. The prisoner is placed on an allocation
list. When an allocation is open, the prisoner on the top of the
list is released from incarceration, transfers to parole/probation
status and is given his "last chance" to become a law-abiding and
productive citizen. However, the program cannot work without the
support of employers throughout Georgia.
- The Business Community. The business
community is the source of "allocations". Without the support of
the business community, the program is dead. To launch the
program, I will personally go to employers across the state
encouraging them to participate. As employers join the effort, the
program begins. This is what I will ask them to do and why.
Typically, upon release from incarceration, a prisoner is given
$20 and a bus ticket. They have no place to live. They have no
possessions. They have no job. They have no money in their pocket.
They have no transportation. They have no social circle. But, it
won't take them long to find a social circle. Unfortunately, their
social circle will be the same type of people they associated with
that landed them in prison in the first place. When they do, they
return to their lawless ways. And, 80% of them will return to
prison. But, they don't just hop on a bus and head to prison.
First, they must commit another crime, victimize another person.
Then, they must get caught and convicted. The entire process
further burdens law enforcement and court system resources. The
"Last Chance" program is a state government- employer sponsored
effort to break the cycle of this process. I will ask employers
to:
- Sponsor a program participant by giving them a job and
assigning an employee as a "buddy" or enlist one from the local
community through a church or other philanthropic organization.
- Spend up to $10,000 on the participant meeting minimum
financial needs. Buy them a cheap car. Make the first payment on
auto insurance. Get them an apartment. Put some food in the
pantry and refrigerator. Put a week's pay in their pocket. All
of this is done to give the participant a real opportunity to
succeed.
- Maintain contact with the local parole officer, the
participant and the "buddy".
- The State of Georgia will do this for
employers. Employers will be able to take a tax credit equal to
TWICE their up-front out-of-pocket cash expenditures for each
prisoner. The tax credit will not be reduced or in anyway
eliminated due to the participant's failure to succeed in the
program. Therefore, an employer will profit up to $10,000 and the
cost to the state equates to the annual cost of incarcerating a
prisoner. In other words, the program is self-funded.
What funds the "Last Chance" program? Initially, the state
treasury. But, as the program grows and our "Crime Busters" and
"Dope?, No Hope" initiatives take effect, the state reaps great
financial rewards. It costs $18,000 dollars per year to incarcerate
a state prisoner and $14,000 dollars per year per juvenile
delinquent. We spend $7,500 dollars to educate a child. For every
prisoner we successfully re-introduce into productive citizenship,
we gain enough money to educate 2 ½ children!
Folks, the
"Last Chance" program may sound far-fetched, but I can tell you
this. What we're doing now isn't working. And, if I put my employers
hat on, I would give the program a chance for three reasons. One, I
would do it just because the governor asked me to do it. Secondly,
it makes good business sense. I would sell the concept to my
employees. I would maintain an objective attitude. Thirdly, I would
do it for humanitarian reasons. Knowing I had helped a person get
their life straightened out makes me feel good about myself. If it
worked, I would do it again. If it didn't work, I would be able to
tell myself I gave it a try.
Illegal Immigrants
(A thorough discussion of illegal immigrants is contained in
Georgia: Where Are We Now. I suggest you click on this
link and read it before proceeding. Then, return to this page.)
This is a tough issue. I am hopeful that cool heads, the
facts, and common sense will dictate the outcome of this debate.
Let me begin by saying our laws, compassionately applied,
should prevail. Having said that, I am reminded that enforcement of
laws has always been selective. We have the laws. However, our
federal government has chosen not to enforce them. The state has no
jurisdiction, therefore, cannot enforce immigration laws.
The next point is a question. Does anyone think congress is
going to pass any law that includes eviction of illegals? I, for
one, do not believe congress will even touch it. Call it what you
may, but the illegals that are here and behave themselves are here
to stay. If I am wrong, the problem will take care of itself in
time. Congress passes the laws, provides the funding, closes the
borders, enforces the laws and the problem begins to
recede.
In the meantime, the states, including Georgia, are
stuck. We are between a rock and a hard place. There are existing
laws that tie our hands insofar as dealing with the illegals already
in our midst.
Federal law requires us to educate them in our
public schools, which I think is a good thing. If they are going to
be here, we should do our best to raise the level of their education
to enable them to eventually work their way off of government
assistance programs.
Federal law also states our hospital
emergency rooms cannot refuse medical treatment. Therefore, if we
were to deny them Medicaid and PeachCare for their children, we are
routing them to hospital emergency rooms. Given the exorbitant cost
of medical treatment in an emergency room as compared to normal
medical provider office visits, that solution appears to be likened
to "cutting off your financial nose to spite your principled
face"!
The bottom line appears to be this. Those that are
here are going to remain here. The situation then becomes, how do
you make the best out of a bad situation?
Permitting this
issue to rage as a highly charged emotional issue for political
purposes, solves nothing. As a matter of fact, it may very well make
the situation much worse.
The only firm stand I will take
without benefit of access to all of the essential decision making
information is this. I will provide the leadership to arrive at the
best, most sensible and compassionate solution that serves the best
interest of Georgia. And, I will aggressively pursue, apprehend and
expel from Georgia those that comprise the criminal element, are
engaged in illegal drug activity and members of gangs terrorizing
our communities.
"Safe Highways" Initiative
Although safety on our highways is not a social problem, this is
an appropriate place in my vision to address it. We have lost
control of safety and law enforcement on our highways. We will
regain control. Following presents how we will do it:
- Fully fund GSP patrolmen positions.
- Eliminate discretionary warnings. If drivers are stopped for a
moving violation, they will be ticketed.
- All proceeds from traffic violations will go to law
enforcement and traffic courts.
- Increase fines for "truck" moving violations and pass
legislation that fines trucking companies after "X" number of
moving violations by their drivers.
- Install all traffic courts with video equipment and allow
video's to replace personal appearance of officers for traffic
violations.
- Man all weigh stations 24/7/365. We invested hundreds of
millions of dollars building them, yet they remain closed 50% of
the time. They will pay for themselves through enforcement of DOT
rules and safety regulations.
- If there's an accident, there's a ticket. The "No fault"
approach when there is clearly fault requires innocent drivers to
incur financial burden through meeting deductibles. This is wrong
and must end.
Conclusion of Social Problems
Yes, Georgians, education and strong families are the ways out of
poverty. I have presented my ideas. Many of my ideas are new
"mechanisms". They are not platitudes. They are specific. None are
"in concrete", but my specific direction and intent have been
revealed to you- and to my opponents. Voters and the press/media
should not permit my opponents, or candidates for any other state
level elected office, a "free pass" on these issues. When opponents
criticize my ideas, they should be made to disclose their specific
ideas for reducing poverty levels in Georgia and their solutions to
problems rooted in poverty. I mean business and so should they!
Georgians, keeping our feet to the fire is your responsibility.
Re-establishing law and order in our communities and on our
highways is going to cost us. I have the highest expectations. I'm
willing to pay the costs necessary to achieve those
expectations.
Before closing, I should address the other
concerns of Georgians that fall under the umbrella of social issues.
I haven't ignored them. Many are contained in the pull-down
"Positions". But remember, my first commitment to Georgians is to
FOCUS and remain focused on major,
unsolved, social problems.
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