Information about Taxes, Government Spending and the Economy 

FAIR GROWTH & OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF GEORGIA
by Mike Crane

Areas that are bypassed or have low development, growth and opportunity become economically depressed, generating hardship for large numbers of Georgia's citizens. The result is increased demands on tax payer funds and government policies which are in direct competition with the demand for increased usage of these same funds and policies by the areas of excessive development and growth.

This has occurred in Georgia with the excessive growth of the Atlanta area, funded in many ways by diverting the citizens' tax funds and the enactment of policies that give preferential treatment to "favored" areas of the State. Favored to the extent that further growth in the metro Atlanta area is exceeding all natural barriers to reasonable growth and is now placing demands on the resources of the remainder of the State to sustain its greed. The quality of life of citizens in the Atlanta area suffer from increasing congestion, traffic and mushrooming property taxes.

It’s time that Georgia ends this trend of failure and begins a period of equalizing development, growth and opportunity throughout the entire State. It is time that we end policies of "favoritism" - replacing them with policies of "fairness."

Some examples:

• Simple Basic Transportation. The tax payer funds spent for bicycle paths in the Metro Atlanta area would be more than enough to provide a paved road for many citizens in a rural county that still live on gravel roads.
   
• State Employment. The State government has become one of the largest employers in the State. Its employees are concentrated in selected areas, primarily the Atlanta Metro area,  thus the tax payers of the rest of Georgia are unfairly subsidizing the Metro Atlanta tax base to their own detriment.
   
• Funding. The State government secretly proposed using somewhere between 25-50 million ($25,000,000) dollars of your tax money to promote a NASCAR tourist attraction in downtown Atlanta. You would then be taxed to build more roads in Atlanta and other infra-structure to increase the revenue of Atlanta corporations, meanwhile funds to your local board of education will be cut.

In the words of Thomas Jefferson:

"The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite."

If given the opportunity to be your voice in the State Senate, I will be a voice working for solutions that are FAIR to all Georgians and will not be swayed by the special interests in their pursuit for favored treatment for the elite.

Articles by the author that may be of interest:

Taxation and Government Spending Position Statement

We are marching step by step toward globalization ... do you really want to?

BUSH: Go ahead liberal punks - just try to outspend me!

Effects of immigration on the American Public - OR - Failed Policies brought to you compliments of the Republican and Democratic Parties

Some historical information on your taxes and a look ahead  ...