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You be a lawmaker!

Posted by Bill Kirby on January 07, 2007 - 2:58 PM

This week the legislatures in Georgia and South Carolina return for their annual rounds of lawmaking.

As someone who spent time reporting for this newspaper (and others) on the General Assembly, I like to think it used to be more entertaining.

There were more characters, and you didn’t know what they were truly up to, because they didn’t know what they were truly up to, either.

These days, everyone takes it seriously and the General Assembly often resembles a big Rotary convention.

Still, I think if there was any fun to be had, it would be in becoming a lawmaker for a day.

Just think, if you had the chance of pushing one law, one issue, one bit of lasting impact for the state – what would it be?

A cut in taxes? A law that helps children and old people?

Mandatory "Casual Fridays"?

Let me know.

Then maybe we can let them know.

Submitted by Rhonda Jones on January 07, 2007 - 7:37 PM.

Oh that's easy. Quality of life. Things like parks, fun things to do, prettying up the place a little bit. Or a lot.


Submitted by 1313 on January 07, 2007 - 8:19 PM.

Set aside money to invent a door bell that people can hear and dogs can't.


Submitted by rickib54 on January 07, 2007 - 11:47 PM.

Pass a law that says elected officials must listen to the people and do what the majority wants not what the elected official wants. After all they are voted in to do the citizens will, but many think they are there for their own good.


Submitted by qdro on January 08, 2007 - 6:16 AM.

Tax cut. BIG tax cut. People know how to use their own money more wisely than governments.


Submitted by annaburdy on January 08, 2007 - 1:59 PM.

1. Bring back railway passenger travel around Georgia, or at least hook the rest of Georgia up by rail to the line that runs up the east coast through Savannah.

2. Add bike lanes so that biking to work acutally is a realistic option in places like Savannah, Augusta, Macon and Columbus.


Submitted by Koldemorgan on January 08, 2007 - 3:07 PM.

To me the best thing that our government needs to do, ( both local, state and federal) is install term limits as we have for our president. This way we do not end up with powerful lifers that care only for themselves and their cronnies. To me, three terms in a row should be the limit which would allow new blood into our government and possibly change some of the stagnation we currently see.


Submitted by WilliamCooper on January 09, 2007 - 6:26 AM.

I would eliminate the BLUE LAWS that are costing South Carolina lots of money on Sundays. I live in South Carolina, but after Church on Sunday's you can't purchase anything except groceries until 1:30 p.m., so I trot over to Georgia.
Way to go Georgia.

Billy Cooper


Submitted by mgroothand on January 09, 2007 - 10:31 AM.

In Western society America has one of the lowest voter turnout. Tuesday was chosen some 135 years ago because of its convenience to the then largely agrarian society. Today only about 2% of the population work and live on farms. Tuesdays are inconvenient in this day and age, Americans live for convenience, we've even named stores after them. Change that voting law to weekends, Saturday or Sunday or both. Less of an excuse not to vote, larger voter turnout.


Submitted by pittbul1 on April 14, 2007 - 7:32 AM.
I would make it Mandatory 20 years for all crimes against children. 2nd offense would be the death penalty. No exceptions for children under 13. No exceptions to the law. but then I would drop the consent age limit to 14. That way we have more criminals locked up and not prisons full of Drug users.