State Senate Candidate Marjean Boyd's "Sonny Did" List

There's a hotly contested race for State Senate District 11 in southwest Georgia. One of the highlights of that race is that it looks like Marjean Boyd has switched parties. But surprise! She's not a Democrat-turned-Republican. She's a Republican-turned-Democrat. And this is good news for southwest Georgia Democrats and the people of the 11th district. Marjean's knowledgeable, community active, and tough as nails. And she's running against the Republican incumbent, John Bulloch, who was recently named to the Sierra Club of Georgia's "Dirty 13."

As I was browsing Marjean's website, I found her very interesting "Sonny Did" list. For your reading pleasure:

What Sonny [and our Republican-led legislature] did...”

No, not one person born in Georgia would restrict access to the polls for rural, elderly, and minority voters, but Sonny did.

Not one person born in Georgia would try to close the door on open government (HB 437: Shielding Elected Officials from Scrutiny), but Sonny did.

Not one person born in Georgia would become the first Governor in the history of this state to be fined by the ethics commission, but Sonny did.

Note: His "own team" of commissioners convicted him of an astonishing 7 violations of Georgia ethics laws.

No one person born in Georgia would claim a state deficit when taking over as Governor, when in fact the state had $200 million in its reserve fund, but Sonny did. State law forbids an end-of-the year deficit. Newspapers across the State took him to task over this one.

Note: That’s why the conservative Cato Institute gave him a "D" in their Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors in 2004 and 2005.

Not one person born in Georgia would spend and spend down the state’s reserves, raise our taxes, and brag about having a $500M surplus, but Sonny did.

No one would ask teachers to take salary cuts due to rising benefits costs over a three year period, but Sonny did.

No one would believe that giving teachers $100 would buy their votes, but Sonny did.

No one would cut the reimbursement rate to local pharmacists and send the money to out of state pharmaceutical companies, but Sonny did.

No one would move Medicaid recipients onto a managed care plan that Georgia doctors won’t accept, but Sonny did.

No one would cut $1.2 billion dollars out of education and give $1 billion for big business tax breaks, but Sonny did. See below to know what’s happened in Senate District 11.

County FY03- Now Cuts by Purdue and Republican-led Legislature

Early $2,375,542
Miller $3,637.073
Seminole $1,478,681
Decatur $4,897,097
Grady $3,923,912
Mitchell $2,306,975
Colquitt $7,220,084
Thomas $4,569,571

TOTAL $23,196,655

No one pass would legislation to seize the family home when a spouse needs around-the-clock nursing home care, but Sonny did.

No one would tell the elderly he was cutting their taxes, yet only really benefit rich retirees, but Sonny did.

Note: Georgia’s lowest earners had a 12.2% tax burden, while Georgia’s highest earners experienced a tax burden ranging from 6.0% to 8.5%.

No one would condemn private homes for business and economic development, and after the state newspapers triggered a public outcry (even Sam Griffin of the Post Searchlight took him to task over this one), claim just the opposite, but Sonny did.

No one would think of raising the gasoline tax at least three times since taking office, but Sonny did.

Note: Before Perdue took office, Georgia had the 2nd lowest gas tax in the nation. Today, Georgia has the 20th highest gas tax in the nation. And, to make matters worse, while our families are suffering from the burden of higher fuel costs, the state government is reaping a tax windfall from it.

No one would have their business associate sneak a bill through the legislature at the 11th hour to give himself a $100,000 retroactive tax break, but Sonny did.
No one would structure the state education budget so that 100 counties in Georgia were forced to implement tax hikes, but Sonny did.

Note: The new state law mandating 65% of educational funds from state and federal sources be spent on classroom instruction sounds great, but it isn’t! The 65% excludes librarians, guidance counselors, school bus operations, and on and on, but includes sports.

No one would cut a $1 billion dollars from higher education and raise college tuition by 39% over the course of four years to make up the difference, but Sonny did.

No one would delay lowering class sizes for three years and then in an election-year ploy implement reductions, but Sonny did.

No one would think of jeopardizing the safety of Georgians by cutting over 350 positions from GBI, state patrol, and other law enforcement, but Sonny did.
Note: Look at just two of the many blogs by law enforcement officials at http://publicsafetyformarktaylor.com/

--We all must get out to the citizens of Georgia that we are at risk in the State of Georgia as far as our safety is concerned. The Law Enforcement Community in Georgia is ready to crumble . . .

--Georgia is the 5th fastest growing states in the union, and is the largest east of the Mississippi. Gov. Perdue has destroyed state law enforcement in this state!

We have less than 400 troopers patrolling on our roadways.

No one would think Purdue led changes in state government would jumpstart the highest turnover rate ever among state employees, now around 20,000, but Sonny did.

Note: The negative consequences of deteriorating state infrastructure does not bode well for the future economic health of the state.

No one would manage the state in such a way that the State faces the sharpest drop in real household income in the United States, but Sonny did. Income has dropped every single year Perdue has been in the Governor's mansion.

No one ever thought One Georgia funds that were meant to assist poorer, rural counties of the state would be used to assist wealthier counties with higher per capita incomes, but Sonny did.

Note: The original mission of the One Georgia Funds was to assist 71 poor counties with infrastructure to promote economic development. Today over 145 counties vie for those funds.

No, ladies and gentlemen, not another person born in Georgia would do all of that, but we’re lucky…because Sonny did.

We cannot let the people of Georgia forget what Sonny did because Sonny has done nothing but take this state backwards and we Georgia Democrats want to move our state forward into the future.

No one would think that Purdue could denying cuts to public health departments, labor departments, education child protective services, aging services, mental health, mental retardation, developmentally disabled, substance abuse services, law enforcement, etc. so blatantly.

Note: The cuts are well documented. The state is falling further and further behind in meeting the minimum needs of Georgians. Forced reductions in state services retard the growth economic and employment growth.

No matter what Gov. Perdue spends airing fiction, his record is different. Reality is vastly different.

You tell 'em Marjean!!