Wednesday, April 2, 2014

What State Legislatures Do

Municipal Maintenance

Legislators in the State Senate and House pass most of their Bills at the behest of the cities and counties looking for some increased authority, assistance, capability or funding.  State government receives funds through income and sales tax collections and from the federal government.

Criminal & Civil Law
State Legislators also pass, repeal and amend laws prohibiting criminal activity and fraud.  These are the laws enforced by Police, the District Attorney and the Courts. They also pass civil law to handle law suits.   

State Budget & Taxes
State Legislators review expenditures and needs and pass State budgets.  They pass laws to establish tax rates and fees to collect revenue.

Regulations
State Legislators consider Bills to pass regulations and activities, normally based on special interest pressure.

Scorecards
States are judged by how well they maintain their infrastructure including roads, highways, bridges, sewers, landfills, water supplies and water treatment. Equally important is energy cost, taxes, land cost and value.

Georgia’s Current Problems

Over the past decades, K – 12 public education, generally the responsibility of each county has failed to be competitive with other States.  This has prompted the State to increase funding to meet federal mandates.  School boards have spent this money on marble palaces and the outcomes for students is worse than ever.  It is much the same for public higher education except where entrance standards have remained very high.  Georgia spends over half its budget on education.
State Legislators need to be grounded in the Constitution to avoid taking over responsibilities better managed in the private sector or at the local level.  State governments have allowed the federal government to encroach on healthcare, education, transportation, energy and the environment to ruinous affect.

State government has grown ever more insular and separated from the voters.  Their representatives spend all their time with other government officials and special interests rather than in looking for ways to preserve our freedom to operate within the free market economy.  Regulations and fees are a burden that destroy productive economic activity.
Finally, the Georgia Legislature has failed to protect our 10th Amendment rights and has allowed federal government overreach with Obamacare, Common Core and dangerous, regional Agenda 21 implementation, in exchange for federal bribes.  All Georgia laws passed to accommodate these unconstitutional abuses should be repealed.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

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