Posted by nadams on 02/06/11
Last updated 02/20/11

First you need to determine which Georgia House District and Georgia Senate District you live in. To do so, visit the Georgia Secretary of State voter information website:

http://www.sos.ga.gov/mvp/

After submitting your personal information, you should be presented with details of your voting information, polling place, etc.

Now look for the section entitled "Your Elected Representatives". There you will find your Georgia Senate and Georgia House numbers.

Now find your representative's and senator's respective contact information:

http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2011_12/house/district.htm

http://www.senate.ga.gov/senators/en-US/SenateMembersList.aspx?Sort=District

Contacting your representatives in the Georgia General Assembly isn't enough if you wish to actually change Georgia law. You also need to contact the Governor and the Lt. Governor:

Contact Governor Nathan Deal

Contact Lt. Governor Casey Cagle

Posted by nadams on 10/17/10
Last updated 10/23/10

In Georgia, constitutional amendments originate as resolutions in either the House or the Senate of the General Assembly and, upon passage by 2/3 of both houses, are placed on the ballot of the next general election. The voting public (electors) of Georgia then decide whether to accept or reject the amendment. Article X, Section I of the Georgia Constitution prescribes this process (see below).

The General Assembly will often pass controversial legislation as a constitutional amendment resolution in an effort to deflect blame for their bad ideas onto the voting public. These resolutions are always accompanied by propaganda supporting their passage in the form of misleading ballot descriptions. You know politicians are up to no good when 2/3 of both parties can agree on something!

The 2009 - 2010 General Assembly saw fit to pass 5 constitutional amendment resolutions for the 2010 General Election ballot. Four of these proposed amendments are especially dangerous, and should be defeated.

Proposed Amendment 1 - VOTE NO

House Resolution 178 is a direct attack on free market principles by giving the General Assembly the power to limit competition and allow companies to enforce non-compete clauses that are contrary to state law. The purveyors of mercantilism in the General Assembly were so bold as to carve out special exemptions from the state's prohibition on laws which encourage otherwise unnatural monopolies in this amendment.

Tell your Representatives how you feel about their support of interference in the free market!

House Votes: 675 & 948

Senate Votes: 735 & 872

Proposed Amendment 2 - VOTE NO

Senate Resolution 277 creates a new discriminatory property tax on passenger vehicles and a socialistic slush fund purportedly for paying for trauma care. In a time when vast swaths of the electorate disapprove of socialized medicine and oppressive tax burdens, why is the Georgia General Assembly, especially that portion claiming to be conservative, pushing schemes to further tax Georgians and socialize their health care?

Tell your Representatives how you feel about their support of oppressive taxation and socialized medicine!

House Vote: 975

Senate Votes: 180 & 930

Proposed Amendment 3 - VOTE NO

Senate Resolution 821 would allow the Georgia Department of Transportation to enter into multi-year contracts. This new-found power would be ripe for abuse as sweet-heart deals from the state could extend beyond GDOT's current funding and the oversight and control (what little there is) from the People's representation in the current General Assembly. The mistakes and graft of the government's road bureaucracy would only be amplified and further entrenched.

Tell your Representatives how you feel about their support of the expansion of government bureacracy & power!

House Vote: 936

Senate Vote: 597

Proposed Amendment 4 - VOTE NO

Senate Resolution 1231 would allow the state to enter into multi-year contracts for "governmental energy efficiency or conservation improvement projects". Considering that the stated goal of the state's energy bureaucracy, the Georgia Public (Dis-)Service Commission, is to maintain utility providers' monopolies, the state should be moving towards less bureaucratically induced monopolies, not more. Like SR821, this proposed amendment only provides the state more opportunity to hand out special favors to certain well-connected entities for longer periods of time.

Tell your Representatives how you feel about their support of the expansion of government bureacracy & power!

House Vote: 954

Senate Votes: 605 & 920

ARTICLE X.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

SECTION I.
CONSTITUTION , HOW AMENDED

Paragraph I. Proposals to amend the Constitution ; new Constitution. Amendments to this Constitution or a new Constitution may be proposed by the General Assembly or by a constitutional convention, as provided in this article. Only amendments which are of general and uniform applicability throughout the state shall be proposed, passed, or submitted to the people.

Paragraph II. Proposals by the General Assembly; submission to the people. A proposal by the General Assembly to amend this Constitution or to provide for a new Constitution shall originate as a resolution in either the Senate or the House of Representatives and, if approved by two-thirds of the members to which each house is entitled in a roll-call vote entered on their respective journals, shall be submitted to the electors of the entire state at the next general election which is held in the even-numbered years. A summary of such proposal shall be prepared by the Attorney General, the Legislative Counsel, and the Secretary of State and shall be published in the official organ of each county and, if deemed advisable by the "Constitutional Amendments Publication Board," in not more than 20 other newspapers in the state designated by such board which meet the qualifications for being selected as the official organ of a county. Said board shall be composed of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Such summary shall be published once each week for three consecutive weeks immediately preceding the day of the general election at which such proposal is to be submitted. The language to be used in submitting a proposed amendment or a new Constitution shall be in such words as the General Assembly may provide in the resolution or, in the absence thereof, in such language as the Governor may prescribe. A copy of the entire proposed amendment or of a new Constitution shall be filed in the office of the judge of the probate court of each county and shall be available for public inspection; and the summary of the proposal shall so indicate. The General Assembly is hereby authorized to provide by law for additional matters relative to the publication and distribution of proposed amendments and summaries not in conflict with the provisions of this Paragraph.

If such proposal is ratified by a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly voting thereon in such general election, such proposal shall become a part of this Constitution or shall become a new Constitution, as the case may be. Any proposal so approved shall take effect as provided in Paragraph VI of this article. When more than one amendment is submitted at the same time, they shall be so submitted as to enable the electors to vote on each amendment separately, provided that one or more new articles or related changes in one or more articles may be submitted as a single amendment.

Paragraph III. Repeal or amendment of proposal. Any proposal by the General Assembly to amend this Constitution or for a new Constitution may be amended or repealed by the same General Assembly which adopted such proposal by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members to which each house is entitled in a roll-call vote entered on their respective journals, if such action is taken at least two months prior to the date of the election at which such proposal is to be submitted to the people.

Paragraph IV . Constitutional convention; how called. No convention of the people shall be called by the General Assembly to amend this Constitution or to propose a new Constitution, unless by the concurrence of two-thirds of the members to which each house of the General Assembly is entitled. The representation in said convention shall be based on population as near as practicable. A proposal by the convention to amend this Constitution or for a new Constitution shall be advertised, submitted to, and ratified by the people in the same manner provided for advertisement, submission, and ratification of proposals to amend the Constitution by the General Assembly. The General Assembly is hereby authorized to provide the procedure by which a convention is to be called and under which such convention shall operate and for other matters relative to such constitutional convention.

Paragraph V . Veto not permitted. The Governor shall not have the right to veto any proposal by the General Assembly or by a convention to amend this Constitution or to provide a new Constitution.

Paragraph VI. Effective date of amendments or of a new Constitution. Unless the amendment or the new Constitution itself or the resolution proposing the amendment or the new Constitution shall provide otherwise, an amendment to this Constitution or a new Constitution shall become effective on the first day of January following its ratification.

Posted 10/17/10 Travis Jones Alpharetta, GA

Great job, Nathan! This should be promoted to the state page.

Posted 10/17/10 DaveHeart Conyers, GA

My wife and I already voted 'NO' on these issues. Thanks for providing this for others who may have been fooled by the tricky language on the ballot.

Posted 10/19/10 Bill Greene Amelia Court House, VA

"NO" is a beautiful word. :-)

Posted 10/20/10 Lawful Money ,

Excellent work, Nathan. Tyranny, by any other name (including "Constitutional Amendment"), is still tyranny. Just say: "(DR.) NO"!

Posted by nadams on 06/19/10
Last updated 07/04/10

FREE ADMISSION - OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The Georgia Campaign for Liberty is pleased to announce a forum for candidates with a primary challenge in the race for Georgia's 5th Congressional District.

The Primary Candidate Forum will be held on Wednesday, July 7 at 6 pm in the Fulton County Central Library Auditorium in downtown Atlanta.

Because the Atlanta Press Club declined to host primary debates in District 5, the July 7 Primary Candidate Forum may be the best opportunity to hear primary candidates speak in turn on the issues.

Interim Region 5 Coordinator Jesse Bickel said this year's unpredictable election cycle provides an exciting opportunity for people to get involved.

"We hope to give the citizens of the 5th District a chance to engage the candidates, especially when there are few opportunities to hear from them," Bickel said.

Campaign for Liberty's mission is to promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy, by means of educational and political activity.

RSVP C4L: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/calendar.php?rsvp=9839

RSVP Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=130097680353494

Directions by MARTA:
http://www.afpls.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92#Di
rections_by_Marta

Directions by car:
http://www.afpls.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92#Di
rections_by_Car

Posted by nadams on 04/10/10
Last updated 04/10/10

• Announcments
  • Georgia SB 291
  • Intro to True Free Market Economics, April 17th @ 2PM
  • Georgia C4L Committees
    • Open to Local Coordinators
    • State Action Committee
    • Federal Action Committee
    • Media & Outreach Committee
    • Executive Committee
    • See Ike Hall for information
• Lobbyist for Life & Liberty - Zeb Blanchard
  
  • Focused on State Sovereignty; Bobby Franklin's bills
  • Half-dozen trips to Capitol; one sit-down with a legislator
  • No chance of passage
  • SB 308 chance for next year?
    
• Do You Know Your Home Owners Association? - Bo & Tammy Rodric
  
  • HOA can foreclose over an amount as little $1000
    • Board members may be able to purchase foreclosures; corrupt!
  • Property Owners Assocation Act of Georgia
    • OCGA 44-3-220 through OCGA 44-3-235
    • Prior to July 1, 1994 not required to be under POA Act
    • Automatic lean at closing (of zero dollars)
    • No notice required
  • Laws are breeding ground for corruption
  • No state sunshine laws for homeowners to audit HOA financials
  • HOA is a non-profit; operate in near-complete secrecy
  • One HOA election away from disaster
  • Open questions
    • Can covenants override the POA Act?
    • Can covenants override zoning laws?
  • Home Owners Bill of Rights
• 5 Biggest Threats to America - Chuck Donovan
  
  • Inflation
    • Government produces nothing, wastes much
    • 3 ways governments get money:
      • Taxation: "Plucking the goose without making it squawk."
      • Sell property gained through Eminent Domain, War Acquisitions, Asset Forfeiture
        • Georgia rated worst for asset forfeiture
      • Inflation - print money backed by nothing. The cruelest tax of all.
    • Punishes poor first.
    • Erodes savings by definition.
    • Destroys the middle-class.
    • "Price-wage spiral" is the lie used to hide the true source of inflation.
    • Benefits government
      • Spends the newly printed money before prices rise.
    • Benefits governments' friends for the same reason.
    • Wages never rise as fast as prices; your buying power always decreases.
  • National Debt
    • Social Security is insolvent this year.
    • Medicare
    • Pensions
    • "ObamaCare"
    • US credit rating likely to be downgraded
      • Some folks won't get their entitlements.
      • Social unrest (blood in the streets) could happen.
    • We owe foreign entities about 25% of the debt
    • 50% owed to mutual funds - YOU
  • International Banking and/or Currency Coordination (Control)
    • Keynesians and New Keynesians
    • Bretton Woods agreements
      • Price fixing in gold market
    • Nixon: "We are all Keysians now." Translation: "We're all dead in the end."
    • Need to fire all politicians who mention any coordination of international finance
  • Misunderstanding of Natural Rights
    • Rights are granted by the creator, not government, not legal documents, not other humans.
    • Rights do not encroach others' rights.
    • Rights cannot be created or destroyed by vote.
    • Basic principles
      • Individual self-ownership
      • No initiation of force against any other human being (self-defense is a natural right).
    • The only legitimate function of government is to protect natural rights.
  • Economic Ignorance
    • Government schools teach economic theories that benefit the government.
    • Solutions
      • 100% reserve requirement
        • Need to treat banks with suspension
        • Make FDIC unneccessary
        • End bailouts
      • Eliminate, not reduce, the deficit
        • Roll back spending to 2000 levels
        • Cap entitlements
        • Provide option to opt out of Social Security & Medicare
        • Stop foreign aid and military aid
      • Term limits for Congress and bureaucrats
      • Salary and benefit cuts for Congress
  • Recommended reading
    • What Has Government Done to Our Money? by Murray Rothbard
    • Foundation for Economic Education
    • Ludwig von Mises Institute

Posted by nadams on 02/13/10
Last updated 02/13/10

Author: Thomas J. DiLorenzo

Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Copyright: 2004

ISBN: 1-4000-8331-1

Pages: 256

Synopsis: "Here's the real history of our country. How Capitalism Saved America explodes the myths spun by Michael Moore, the liberal media, Hollywood, academia, and the rest of the anticapitalist estblishment."

Table of contents:

• Introduction: The Untold Story
• Chapter 1: What Is Capitalism?
• Chapter 2: Anticapitalism
• Chapter 3: How Capitalism Saved the Pilgrims
• Chapter 4: America's Capitalist Revolt
• Chapter 5: Highways of Capitalism
• Chapter 6: How Capitalism Enriched the Working Class
• Chapter 7: The Truth About the "Robber Barons"
• Chapter 8: Antitrust Myths
• Chapter 9: Did Capitalism Cause the Great Depression?
• Chapter 10: How the New Deal Crippled Capitalism
• Chapter 11: Did Capitalism Cause the Energy Crisis?
• Conclusion: The Never-Ending War on Capitalism

Review:

How Capitalism Saved America is a great book for dispelling many of the myths surrounding free market capitalism. The book takes great pains to differentiate between true free market entrepreneurs and the mercantilist that so often give capitalism a bad name. Not to be left out, the book also examines the socialistic central planners that have plaqued our nation's economy and done so much harm to so many in the name 'public good'.  It is this distinction that makes the book such an interesting read. No longer will readers of this book be fooled by the mercantalist claiming to be champions of capitalism or power-hungry central planners claiming to be great humanitarians. The book is very approachable to a layman, and I encourage anyone fed up with the bankster bailouts, the scam stimulus handouts, or the inflationary madness of the Federal Reserve to read it.

Related links:

http://mises.org/store/How-Capitalism-Saved-America-P260.aspx

About the Author:

I had the pleasure of meeting Thomas DiLorenzo at the Campaign for Liberty Regional Conference this past January in Atlanta. After chatting with him at an after-party and hearing him speek to the conference attendees, I can say that not only is Thomas DiLorenzo an intelligent and lucid speaker, an accomplished historian, and an economist deserving of respect, but also that he is a genuinley nice guy.