We The People Need a Lobbyist

February 5, 2009

By ROY BARNES

http://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2009/02/05/barnesed_...
.html?cxntlid=inform_artr

Many Georgians have watched with trepidation the growing influence of the
special interests and their private agents - their lobbyists - incontrolling public policy in the halls of our state Capitol. I, for one,
have come to the conclusion that since gifts blind the wise, the only way we
the people can combat this growing influence with our elected officials is
to hire our own "People's Lobbyist" and make sure that he or she has an
expense account with enough money to be able to ply the General Assembly
with the finest food and wine, tickets to any event they desire, and maybe
even a jet aircraft so our elected officials can make sure they will not be
tardy for their junkets.

Why am I so upset? Because, there are at least two issues under the Gold
Dome in which the public interest is again being hijacked by special
interests.

When I was running for governor in 1998, I saw the difficulty homeowners and
family farms were having paying property taxes. I decided, and the General
Assembly agreed, that we should create a program of giving a credit of $200
to $300 to each homeowner on their annual property tax bill. This cost the
state about $500 million per year, and the intention was to double that
amount over the next few years. Fully implemented, the Homeowners Tax Relief
Grant would have exempted from taxation the first $50,000 in value of homes
and family farms.

The current governor has submitted a budget eliminating this credit, and
members of the General Assembly are wringing their hands, saying how
difficult it is to find the money to continue this promise made to the
people of Georgia. We all know that our state's economy is in dire straits.
So you may ask, how have special interests and their lobbyists caused this
inability to keep the property tax credit?

Just since 2005, the special interest lobbyists have persuaded the General
Assembly and the governor to approve at least $337 million in
special-interest tax breaks and giveaways, including a multiyear $140
million tax break just for insurance companies in 2008.

So now that the tax revenues have been depleted by the special interests,
who is going to bear the brunt of the largesse of these politicians? Why,
the homeowner, of course! If we'd had a People's Lobbyist over the last six
years, maybe they could have wined and dined the politicians and kept them
from passing all those special-interest tax breaks, and we would have been
able to keep our property tax relief.

Another current issue where we need a People's Lobbyist is the effort this
year to force the Public Service Commission to allow Georgia Power to
collect from ratepayers the cost of two new multibillion-dollar nuclear
reactors whose costs have not even been determined. This is like being
forced to make payments on a car that you haven't shopped for, much less
even bought, and may not buy for several years.

In fact, Georgia Power demands these payments even though Georgia exports
electricity to Florida under an agreement accepted by Georgia Power. Now,
don't get me wrong. I am not necessarily against nuclear power under the
right circumstances, and I think we should build generating capacity for our
future. I am, however, opposed to the public paying for it today when
Georgia Power's earnings already may be sufficient to fund the cost of
construction.

A People's Lobbyist would point out that Georgia Power has a rate case next
year, and it is commonly thought that we are overpaying them today given
their investments and the monopoly granted to them. The People's Lobbyist
would argue that, in fact, next year the Public Service Commission may very
well decide that this new construction can be paid from our current payments
to Georgia Power rather than from an additional levy on ratepayers during
these difficult economic times.

It is apparent that Georgia Power had something it was interested in when
its lobbyists gave away more than $75,000 in meals and tickets to all types
of events in 2008 to our elected officials and public employees. And this is
where the People's Lobbyist could be helpful. Since we know that wealth
makes many friends, the People's Lobbyist could also give away thousands of
dollars worth of tickets and buy the best steaks and liquor for our
policymakers. Maybe then we could have a fair shake with what is supposed to
be our government - one that today most of us barely recognize.

• Roy Barnes is a Marietta attorney and a former governor of Georgia.

Posted:
--
Glenn Carroll
Coordinator

NUCLEAR WATCH SOUTH
P.O. Box 8574
Atlanta, GA 31106
404-378-4263
[email protected]
http://www.nonukesyall.org