Gov. Perdue looks lost in the fog

So Gov. Perdue thinks he's done a great job and deserves to be re-elected?

Ever since Sonny elevated himself to the governor's mansion, he's been stuck in a fog. Being surrounded by rejoicing Republicans celebrating their first Republican governor in Georgia since reconstruction, has obviously distorted his view of our state. Hellbent on trying to get revenge on Democrats, he first revelled in the Republican controlled senate's stripping of Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor's power as president of the senate. And then, the day after Secretary of State Cathy Cox turned down an invitation to join the Republican party, Sonny sends her an eviction notice in an attempt to move her office from the capitol building.

Since then, he's served shamelessly as one of the country's biggest Bush lap dogs. Sonny might be an old dog, but he learned a lot of new tricks, with rolling over, begging, and fetching upon command being just a few examples. But don't worry, he and Georgia were rewarded for his good and loyal service to the worst president of my lifetime. The Golden Coast was awarded the G-8 summit after all.

But Cathy Cox points out a few more points to add to the legacy of Sonny's first term: such as our state "hemorrhaging jobs" and "struggling schools." Naturally, Sonny disagrees. He says we're "creating thousands of jobs" and our schools are "improving."

First of all Governor, replacing high paying jobs with minimum wage an hour or slightly better jobs doesn't say much for your ability to keep Georgians working and keeping a roof over their heads. And neither does an election year ploy that involved spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per job in incentives to bring a Kia plant to Georgia. That is, if the deal goes through. Since Kia officials are being investigated in South Korea for taking bribes and other unentitled gifts, the future of the west GA plant isn't altogether safe.

Second, 51 rural school systems filed a lawsuit vs. the state of Georgia in Nov. of 2004 for underfunding their schools and not providing them with the same opportunities that other school systems are receiving. Since then, Sonny has heaped various unfunded mandates on Georgia's school systems making those problems even worse. A year and a half later, the 51 school systems have seen no improvement and haven't dropped their suit. Their funding is smaller while their dropout and failure rates are higher. And just the other day, the state hired big gun lawyers to fight them in court. And he thinks we're making progress? Must be that fog again.

It's pure irony that "the man from Bonaire" would be the presiding governor when these 51 school systems filed their lawsuit. It looks like Sonny definitely forget where he came from. The man that was going to bridge the two Georgias has created an even further divide.

No, Sonny. You don't deserve another term. Georgia can't afford it.

http://www.ajc.com/friday/content/epaper/editions/friday/metro_4429d35d3698b03d00c6.html