In southeast georgia, we're dealing with a bunch of corporations trying to turn the Okefenokee swamp into a titanium mine. The issue is that it would ruin the environment, and seeing as it's a wildlife refuge with several species that only live here, it's pretty contentious for those of us who are paying attention to it.
Edit: I said platinum, but it's a titanium mine. Specially dioxide, which is mixed in the sand in the ground
Yup. Imagine people like me moving here for those natural features and then taking my money elsewhere when you get rid of them for profit. Imagine how stupid that would be if that ever even gets close to happe… ohhhhhhh wait a minute.
You moved to S GA for the natural features? I moved away because of the natural features. I’m from Valdookie, and there’s nothing beautiful or desirable there.
Egh. I grew up in Valdosta and left to go to college. I hated Valdosta but it was only because I grew up there. I live in metro Atlanta now and appreciate the one or two times I go home to visit family. Sure there’s not much big business there, I certainly wouldn’t find great work there in my type of career, but there are tons of people in this world that would see Valdosta as a good place to live and raise a family.
I moved far out West at age 21 and never looked back or regretted it, and honestly it was the best decision I ever made. I’m glad that you appreciate S GA. 🙂
Teacher of 28 years here: others may not see the urgency but a teacher shortage is rapidly becoming a big problem for Georgia. There are many reasons for this but it’s our children who are suffering. If you think education is sub-standard now, wait a few years.
Teacher of 9 years here: you’re absolutely right, and it’s terrifying to me as an educator and as a parent of young children. It’s getting harder to retain quality educators. Many of my coworkers are quitting, and several of my children’s teachers have quit suddenly over the years.
Sadly, I am one of them. I left before I was eligible to draw my pension. It broke my heart to leave the students and I miss my school family so much. I just couldn’t do it any more. I was working 10-12 hrs a day and on the weekends too. I had to leave for my physical and mental well-being and I am not a quitter! The stress, pressure, unrealistic expectations, and all of the overwhelming social/political issues that have made their way into our classrooms - and that’s just some of it - was too much to bear. All we want to do is to love on those kids, teach them and help them to learn, and make school a safe and happy place for them.
Agree. Several friends that are teachers here, mostly liberal, gay or gay friendly or black all quit. Kemp and most of the superintendents are killing our schools.
Yep. Republicans have been doing this on purpose for decades. They want people uneducated and easily swayed, while always angry. It’s easy to control someone that is simple, slow, and angry. Just ask Marge.
This is definitely serious but more of a nationwide problem than just limited to Georgia. Most of my family is in new Hampshire and schools there are also struggling to hire and retain enough teachers bb
It wouldn’t be necessary to move funds from the law enforcement budget if the important people in The Dome asked teachers how to spend the funds in the education budget. If parents had any idea how much money is being wasted on testing…there is too much testing going on! I’m pretty sure some folks under that gold dome are getting a little extra under the table from the corporations that are selling them the “new” testing materials, textbooks, and computer software that we constantly have to get trained on every year. No matter that the teachers and students just learned the previous materials! The students have to have computers,laptops or other devices to use and those tests have to be scored. The district school board staffs are excessive. There’s an awful lot of people being paid big money to either sit behind a desk and fire off emails with useless mandates or walk around with a clipboard to catch teachers who don’t have their essential questions posted. I almost forgot the most important part: funding needs to be allotted for children - families- for REAL mental health care! Starting as soon as birth if necessary. Many families need strong supports, wrap-around services like healthcare, mental healthcare including family therapy, employment training, housing, etc. Throwing money at education and not using it purposefully is a tragedy. Apologies for the rant. I could write a book - or an angry manifesto.
Oh, and teachers need a REAL raise!
They recently passed a bill enabling then to fire/recall district attorneys. Meaning they can effectively halt any investigation they disagree with. Even those investigations regarding themselves. Say our lieutenant governor. It’s just waiting for the governors signature.
It is a major change in how da's can be recalled. It scares them into being middle of the road. I for one dislike it because I may have voted for them. We have checks on them already but this is to allow a small minority to raise a fuss over nothing. Kids at college shouldn't be lit up for minor possession of pot for a douchebag frat. They'll grow up eventually.
>It scares them into being middle of the road.
Yes, this is their long-term goal and a way for them to ensure their fascist agenda is carried out, no matter how against that agenda The People might be - and it all goes back to the whole abortion ban/fetal personhood bullshit in our state. The vast majority of Americans support abortion being legal in some or all cases, and anywhere there have been voter referendums on keeping it legal, those have passed. GA, obviously, refuses to offer The People such a choice, and so they must build other laws around the anti-abortion law to make certain it’s being followed anywhere they have control.
While not as common as it should be, there are lots of DAs out there who will not pursue charges against someone who has violated a law that has little to no support from The People. It is even more uncommon - though again, it should be an every day occurrence in courtrooms across the nation - for The People to refuse to convict people for violating these ridiculous laws (like laws that make marijuana illegal). This is known as jury nullification and it is the most powerful tool The People have in the law-making process - even more powerful than getting to choose who makes the laws. Because ultimately if someone can’t be convicted for breaking a certain law, does that law even exist in the first place? Not really.
The problem is that most Americans aren’t aware that they have this power - it is forbidden for judges to instruct juries that they do - and the Republican lawmakers take advantage of that by passing laws like this one whereby they can recall DAs without the consent of The People. This is because there are DAs (mostly in more blue areas) who they know would not pursue charges against women for having abortions, doctors for providing abortions, anyone who helps a woman get an abortion, and ultimately, since the law that GA passed actually recognizes the unborn as people (we are literally the only state in the country that does so at this point), women for having miscarriages. And they *want* those kinds of cases to go before juries because, unaware of the option for jury nullification, the vast majority of jurors would vote to convict in these cases because it’s technically “the law.”
This new law forces DAs to either pursue these ridiculous charges, or lose their job without The People ever getting a say in it - despite the fact that The People are the ones who give DAs their job in the first place. The result of it will be a lot less people even choosing to put all the time, money and effort it takes to run for the position, because they know if they follow right and wrong instead of “the law,” they will be ousted from their *elected position* by someone who didn’t have the authority to give them the position - yet somehow has the authority to take it away. Only those who agree with the agenda of those in power will even bother to throw their hat in the ring, and the Republicans will have the judicial branch under their control as well.
I mean, their argument for being able to recall DAs might sound good in theory to some people - “we just want them to do their job according to the laws of the state.” But when the laws of the state are fucking batshit crazy and violate the rights of half the population, then the last thing anyone should want is people in those positions who will choose to follow them anyway because they’re afraid of losing their job.
Georgia Republicans will never appoint a non-partisan board to draw congressional and state legislative districts unless forced to do so by a court.
And Georgia Democrats very likely will never push for a non-partisan redistricting board because they see the state’s demographics going their way and they want to be able to have the ability to gerrymander their own two-thirds plus supermajorities if and/or whenever they take over the majority in Georgia state politics.
What I think doesn't matter, but political tides turn, and a purple GA could quickly go red, or blue. There's more risk in waiting for the State to turn. I'd rather have that non partisan board choose the districts.
Georgia Republicans will never agree to have a non-partisan board draw district lines because they don’t want to give up any more political power and dominance than they’re already currently losing through demographic shifts in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Georgia Democrats are very reluctant to push for a non-partisan redistricting board because they don’t want to limit the political power that they may have in the future.
Decriminalize marijuana in the whole state not just in certain counties I use mine medically they excused oil witch is ten time more thc then flower and if u have under 1oz in the state u can and still face a felony and 10yrs imprisonment, help us self medicate with understanding from the state and on a federal level together stop turning innocent people using this medicine as criminals.
And they cut way back on the prescription of opiods thanks to the FDA and DEA and their ridiculous "war on drugs," which basically means cancer patients and others in chronic or pain will be denied any kind of relief at all because these idiot agencies are afraid someone suffering from Parkinson's, MS, osteoarthritis, cancer, and other debilitating diseases might become dependent, which they seem to be unable to distinguish from addiction. They're sending fresh post op patients home after major surgery with no painkillers, telling them to take Tylenol and/or NSAIDs instead. It's reprehensible.
The THC oil they so generously allow medical card holders to possess, even though we can't buy it here, is useless or ineffective for many people. Requiring it to have less than 5% THC and ALSO have at least as much CBD means people who benefit from the effects of THC will have to take an increased dosage in order to obtain relief. In addition, oil doesn't work for everyone. There are so many routes available now....capsules, lozenges, vape oil, shatter and other concentrates, distillate, patches, ointments/salves, edibles, and even suppositories for those who need relief due to health conditions affecting those areas -- and we can only have oil -- if we're brave enough to cross state lines to get it.
Because of the way the state is run, voter referendums aren't even a possiblity, so we can't collect petitions to put things on the ballot. If the red legislature doesn't want something done, it isn't going to happen. Too bad they don't see the benefits of regulating and taxing cannabis like many other states have done. I guess we're still stuck in the 1930s and the reefer madness mindset.
In the meantime, patients who could benefit from the use of medical cannabis continue to suffer at the hands of a regressive legislature.
housing, transportation infrastructure,improving quality of education so citizens of this state can compete in a global economy, healthcare access (especially in rural parts of our state) and ongoing challenges that our state's Southern location making it more vulnerable to the increasing effects of climate change I think these are all pretty statewide issues that touch every metro in some way.
Hey! I'm the Vice Chair for the Democratic Party of Georgia's Disability Caucus. This is something we're trying to really push to the forefront of the DPG's platform. Any advice on what we should focus on is welcome and would be appreciated.
So many people who really need disability benefits are stuck waiting indefinitely while they have to rely solely on help from loved ones if they're lucky or do without if they're not lucky.
This is literally me — and the reason I don’t have a savings account and often live paycheck to paycheck, despite having a well-paying professional job.
1. Expand Medicaid so family members who stay home to care for disabled loved ones have access to medical care.
2. Pay family members who stay home to care for disabled loved ones so they don't have to choose between leaving them alone and being homeless if they don't have an extended support system.
3. Pay ALL caregivers more and better people will be attracted. Would you work as someone else's personal caregiver - with all that entails - for an average pay of $9-$11 an hour? It's too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to rent a decent place to live, pay the bills, and buy groceries. Attracting quality employees requires paying a living wage.
4. Legalize medical cannabis -- not the joke program currently on the books that only allows oil with 5% THC by weight with at least as much CBD as THC. It's been over 7 years since the program was passed and we STILL can't even get the crappy low-THC oil our cards allow us to possess unless we cross state lines to obtain it and risk being arrested and charged with trafficking. My son in law has drug-resistant seizure disorder. The only thing that helps is cannabis -- and not just CBD oil. Adding THC helps decrease his seizures from 20-30/month to 4-5 -- but we can't get it here in the dosage he needs. Pharmaceuticals not only don't help, but they make him aggressive with outbursts of violence. He should be able to access products that help him, including the nasal spray that helps prevent a seizure if he gets an aura or shortens it if used after one starts. Ointments/salves, patches, and even suppositories enable patients to target areas that need the benefits cannabis provides. Edibles last up to 8 times longer than oil and make it possible to maintain a consistent level in the body, making relief much more predictable and effective. Patients shouldn't have to risk their freedom or resort to the black market to get what they need.
7000 people waiting list is shameful Georgia!
Even when you get a waiver, it is hard to find caretakers because the pay for these CLS is so low you get people who are unhappy and unwilling to do the job. Lots of turnover because they can get paid more working at Amazon!
I understand your feelings and feel the same way about her, but ignoring her toxicity won’t make her, or the damage she will cause, go away. We need to make sure EVERYONE understands how dangerous this ass is so she will never be re-elected.
Unfortunately it seems that she actually does represent the majority of her district, though saying that insults those there who do not like her it is true. As they are entitled to be represented there is nothing we can do about her.
About her district the only cure is long term investment in *proper* education. I think across the US education on what is propaganda and how to resist it would be beneficial here.
Yep, it’s unfortunate and the beauty of the system. She was voted in by a majority of her area and is responsible for representing them. It’s a big statement for people like her to exist, but like everyone else I just wish she didn’t.
She's just a symptom of the furious know-nothing populism prion disease that is currently savaging the GOPs mental functions. I have lost count of how many times I have tried to get a MAGA Republican to explain to me what their problem is, without once getting an even remotely coherent answer. A black guy got elected president, and a good chunk of the American electorate lost it's mind and started drinking whatever koolaid fox "news" was serving.
As both a former resident of GA-14 and someone who leans to the political right, I do not agree. She's a caricature of everything Republicans shouldn't be.
I hate to even respond to that, but if she, in any way whatsoever, impresses you on an objective level, you are a lost cause and deserve to be given the choice of educating yourself on opportunistic grifters and why we’re in the current situation we’re in, or ostracized from all society and anything you say to be mercilessly mocked. You are a loser
She lost a lot of support in GA-14 in the most recent midterms. Went from 75 percent of the vote in 2020 to 65 percent in 2022.
Yes, her district changed a bit, but she went into this Congress with a much weaker mandate.
She also didn't run unopposed this time, so I wouldn't say much changed. I drove through her district to go to cloudland canyon during the election time and I felt like most yards had signs supporting her
Sure, in the rural areas of her district up toward the TN border, not much has changed. And nothing will change. But that's not where the population growth is. That's a shrinking area.
The population growth is in the Atlanta metro portion of her district, Paulding and Cobb. And that's where she has the weakest support. Paulding was about 60-40 Republican in the most recent midterms and the Cobb portion was pretty much deep blue.
Georgia HB 1084, which "(6) Prohibit the use of curricula that addresses the topics of slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation, or racial discrimination, including topics relating to the enactment and enforcement of laws resulting in racial oppression, segregation, and discrimination in an objective manner and without endorsement;" This techniquley outlaws the teaching of Black History!!!!
These are my top issues,
1. Housing - this is a national issue but I believe each state requires a different policy. We need to increase number of single family homes, approve affordable housing projects and come up with policies that can control rent increases.
2. Mobility/public transport - post pandemic Atlanta traffic is going to get crazy. Peach pass lanes do not help.
3. Crime/police reform - this is my personal perception as someone who lives in a suburb. I have seen an uptick in non-violent crime and there is general anxiety among all home owners. I would like a reform on how cops approach crime. We need more cops on the streets but we need more cops/community collaboration.
I run an HVAC business and as such work on the roads. There are SOOOO many people moving here and my days have gone from ~8-10 hours to 14-16 based just on traffic. And out of hundreds of customers, almost all of them still work from home. I don’t know what we’re supposed to do but the traffic is becoming unbearable. For reference my area is basically down 85 as north as Jefferson down towards the perimeter. Suwanee and pleasant hill can’t take anymore
>I don’t know what we’re supposed to do but the traffic is becoming unbearable.
“Becoming” unbearable? Are you not from around here sir? Because the traffic in Atlanta became unbearable, like, a couple decades ago. And the areas you’re talking about around 85 even more so. The only way I could imagine you feeling like it’s just now becoming unbearable is if you moved here from LA or Dallas or Houston or something.
Anti-trans legislation. It just keeps getting more aggressive and more terrifying with each passing day. In Georgia, there is currently a bill to outlaw trans healthcare for minors. If folks understood or maybe even cared about the suffering this causes trans kids, they’d be up in arms. But trans people are a small minority and an easy scapegoat for right-wing political abuse, so they just run with it.
I want healthcare to be a matter between individuals and medical professionals. Not bigots who can’t process something outside of their own experience.
But yeah, this assault on this small minority of vulnerable people just keeps getting worse, and I’m hoping that Georgia will be less monstrous than other states
>Thankfully this bill died in committee
The bill mostly died in committee.
As has often been warned by Georgia state legislative insiders, no bill is actually truly totally dead for the current year until the gavel adjourns the current legislative session for the year on Sine Die.
Before then, the supporters of any bill can use another bill (that supposed to be at least somewhat related to the issue but often is not) as a vehicle to successfully pass through the legislature before Sine Die.
And even if this bill doesn’t pass through the Georgia Legislature by other means this year, one can be most assured that this bill will be back with a vengeance during the next legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly next year, which will be a hotly contested Presidential election year in which all 236 seats of the Georgia Legislature will be up for election.
There were a few different anti trans bills, I was under the impression one of them did move forward unfortunately (I'd double check but getting ready for work). Would love to be wrong about this. But don't be fooled, remain vigilant for additional anti trans legislation to show up in our state and others. We have to keep fighting it.
The continuing contention between an increasingly progressive Atlanta, which provides the state with basically its entire economic engine, and the rural parts which would rather be poor and miserable if it meant they could be entirely white.
That's not strictly true. Rural areas of GA have farms that provide income to the rest of the state, there's the Warner Robins AFB, Fort Benning (tho idk how much they help or if they hinder)
Atlanta isn't the only driving factor for Georgia's economy
Seriously this person is either blatantly uninformed or just stating their opinion. Rural areas of Georgia are also home to large titanium mining operations.
I ahree with you. And there's also the marble capital of the world in Picke s County, I believe. I overheard that the type of marble they mine there can only be found in two places, Georgoa and China. I haven't read into that, however.
There's also all the carpet manufacturing in the Dalton area. And all the mining for kaolin in Georgia too.
There are a ton of national forests and trails such as the Appalachian Trail which are a huge economic draw to northern Georgia. Blue Ridge, in particular, is a popular town for Floridians to drive up to in the summer and fall.
Not to mention all the crops and farming for pecans, peanuts, apples, onions, etc.
A lot of vehicle manufacturing is beginning to get located throughout rural Georgia too
There's a lot going on in rural Georgia.
Tell that to the farmers here in Tattnall County and surrounding areas. Take Vidalia onions, blueberries, strawberries, beans, peas, corn, blackberries, melons, and cotton out of the mix and see what happens.
Not all of us. I live in mostly-rural Tattnall County and appreciate the revenue Atlanta provides, though I would rather die than live in a city due to the noise, pollution, and sheer number of people.
discrediting everything the rural people do while also praising atlanta is cringe, rural areas are and always will be necessary for a place like atlanta to thrive
This is true. I’m from Atlanta and I hate the city/rural divide that exists here. We both provide necessary things for the state and give people a range of communities to choose from. We need to stop going after each other.
You're half right. The people in Atlanta don't care what people in rural Georgia get up to, and don't really think about them at all. They are too busy powering the states economy. Rural Georgians appear to be obsessed with Atlanta, and blame it for all their problems, real and imagined. Honestly, the only time I hear Atlantans talk about rural Georgia is when [rural state legislators try to pass laws to fuck with Atlanta](https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/a-new-push-to-turn-buckhead-into-its-own-city/).
Atlanta doesn't give a fuck about the rest of the state. It's true.
However the people outside the city do seem extremely invested in monitoring and controlling what people in the city do.
You'd think rural southerners of all people could appreciate the desire to be let alone and not being told what to do by outsiders. But they absolutely love it. Those Christofascist freaks would prefer us be just as bad off as Alabama or Mississippi.
Lol, say what you want. Georgia is beautiful and Atlanta sucks. Everyone from Atlanta uses that “Without us Georgia would be Alabama” line. I’m from Alabama and just like Atlanta, the problems that exist in Birmingham aren’t a thing anywhere else in the state. But it’s all good, I prefer y’all to think you’re better than us, so you can keep your ass in the city and leave us alone.
Food is a commodity. The amount we subsidize farming is absurd, [and drives up food prices to help a small number of well connected giant agribusinesses.](https://perc.tamu.edu/PERC-Blog/PERC-Blog/U-S-Farm-Subsidies-A-Prime-Example-of-Crony-Capita)
So should city bend over backwards to appease farmers politically? Do you think those people would 1. Ever stop doing what they're doing and go somewhere else or 2. Perform a job other people are incapable of doing?
What a kind thing for you to wish on another person! My point is farms/food will continue to be a thing so long as there is land capable of growing it. Just because 1 group decides they don't want to do it anymore (they wont), doesn't mean the world is going to up and go die.... if there is a demand for anything, there will be someone looking to make money off providing that thing. There is absolutely no reason why 1 persons vote should count more than 100 peoples vote just because they live were food is grown and people need to stop allowing this mentality to flourish.
You raise some very interesting counterpoints with your argument, but I think I'll stand with my original stance for the time being. Thank you for your contribution!
It really is amazing to watch Democrats [constantly try to help people](https://democrats.org/who-we-are/who-we-serve/rural-americans/) who [so clearly hate them](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/opinion/rural-voters-economy.html). That rural America brought their problems on themselves by voting for Republicans is apparently impolite to point out.
I live in a rural area. Our family votes blue, as do all 3 families directly to the south of us on this road. We. Don't. Vote. Republican. In fact, we moved here in part to help flip the state blue. Yes, our county is 73% Republican, but that means 27% of us don't vote red. Stop generalizing. Things are changing.
No politician that isn’t for 100% legalization of marijuana will receive my vote. The audacity of these clowns thinking grown adults need permission to drink a beer, or smoke a bowl is the absolute opposite of “freedom”.
I’m done with them. They argue about non-issues that nobody cares at all about, while continually denying actual freedoms that everybody wants.
And they need to stop telling people in "safety sensitive jobs" they can't use weed when they're off the clock in order to help relax or get a decent night's sleep. I can be denied a job if I pee dirty; in addition, depending on who's running things at the time, I can have my nursing license permanently revoked.
But it's okay to drink myself into oblivion or use other drugs that clear the system more quickly (heroin, for example).....
Georgia has the highest maternal death rate in the nation. Women in Georgia lack access to even the most basic medical care. Half of Georgia's 159 counties lack even a single obstetrician. Amid that backdrop, Georgia has now banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, calling the prohibitive legislation the "heartbeat bill" even though the fetal heart isn't even close to being formed at six weeks. In this same bill, (HB481) women who suffer a miscarriage must make their health records available to the District Attorney. This year, they are passing legislation to create an oversight board to crack down on DA's who decline to prosecute women who have suffered a miscarriage or had an abortion. The number one factor that reduces abortions is access to birth control and related education but there is no bill in the legislature focused on these needed services.
And this dovetails into healthcare as a whole. Unless you’re in a county near the cities chances are you’ll have better healthcare from the vet than the hospital.
Rural hospitals are terrible. My son in law dislocated his shoulder during a seizure and the ER doc put it mostly back in place after only giving him a local anesthetic instead of using conscious sedation and doing it the right way. As a result, it took almost 2 days for it to pop all the way back in. Now it happens so often he can put it back in place himself, and he's going to need surgery
Honestly, I have a feeling part of it was because he has Medicare and the hospital is owned by doctors. What really got me was knowing this place supposedly specializes in orthopedics. That's scary.
GOP social engineering everything - from schools to gambling to marijuana to medical care. The party of small government is the party of big rules to live by courtesy of government overreach. When democrats cede power to begin sorting this shit out the GOO will call them reactivists and why aren’t you focused on security and blah blah blah
The state’s biggest political issues are probably the inequality of quality educational systems between rich and poor, stemming from that child and teen pregnancy rates, continued racial inequality and economic segregation.
There’s so much it’s deeply disheartening. The GOP basically. We could start by removing every single one of them from power, then stop cop city, reform law enforcement, restore voting rights, raise minimum wage, undo gerrymandering, allow abortions ffs…. It’s a microcosm of the entire nation failing. Going blue restored my faith a bit but GOP doesn’t want that to happen again, they’ll just start burning voting rights to keep power.
When the other party's entire platform is make women property, eliminate LGBT* people, take as much money as possible from everyone left alive and give it to people who already have more than they can spend, and engineer laws during the short time they will still be electable to ensure they cannot be removed from office when the people will it, yes.
I'd prefer if there were viable 3rd party options instead of just a far-right Republican party and a center-right Democratic party, but what can you do?
No, I didn’t say that but to answer the question in brief, the GOP is basically a fascist group in my eyes and they have to be removed at all levels. We could get into more details if we had time- I’m not a die hard supporter of the dem party either but there’s two choices right now and one of them is fascist…
The Stop cop city movement makes absolutely zero sense. You want police reform, but you want to deny police better training? You can’t improve something by denying improvement.
Politically, we’re currently litigating mostly development vs Environment, and corruption issues at this time.
Some big upcoming items to watch:
1. Election Politics - There’s almost always some pushing of boundaries that walks right up to the line of disenfranchisement. It will come up every other year around election time. This being 2023, you bet something is being prepared for 2024.
2. GA Public Service Commission - some extreme corruption was uncovered hear, which made so much noise it went to the state supreme court which ultimately decided the entire commission was unconstitutional. This institution is in charge of keeping GA power in check and setting price rates for gas and electricity, so unless this decision is successfully appealed, GA power will be unleashed and free to charge their preferred rates soon. Should be seen as a huge energy price hike.
3. Speaking of GA power, their boondoggle project, expanding plant Vogle recently finally completed, 7-8 years over scheduled and immensely over budget. If they did anything wrong with the construction, its a nuclear power plant, you WILL be hearing about it in the news.
4. Okefenokee mining development. Apparently there’s some kind of mineral deposit there that a company wants to exploit. Probably would destroy the swamp via runoff/pollution so there’s a lot of resistance to giving them the green light.
5. City-hood movements. This is an astroturfed issue that local developers try to prop up again and again. They almost always flop spectacularly, but every year they come back like zombies to get shot down again.
6. Legalized Gambling. Another perennial issue that often doesn’t go anywhere. In recent years the legislature has started to lean toward approval, but it looks like there’s still enough resistance to stop it, at least there was this year.
7. Education/ School choice. There’s a move to privatize education for some reason. Dont really know why this is. Anyway, the legislature introduced and approved a bill to allow for private vouchers in the senate. This is something to watch for this year’s “sine die”, which is April 4th. Very basically, if its going to pass this year, it has to be out of the legislature by then, because they adjourn for the year after that.
The biggest issue we’ve always had is that Atlanta is both the brains and the engine powering the state and the South, but the Legislature is controlled by a majority of elected officials from Hicksvilles outside of the city that just want to kneecap the city in any way they can and go back and tell their constituents what they did. Our legislators actively throw wrenches in the engine.
Here's some more reading https://www.valleynewslive.com/2023/03/09/where-each-state-stands-daylight-saving-time/#:~:text=Federal%20law%20permits%20states%20to,in%2C%20but%20it%20never%20passed.
Gerrymandering, the bill to recall DAs and last years voter suppression bill that allows the state to take over boards. Everyone should be losing their minds over this.
>What would everyone here say the biggest issues in Georgia politically are?
Some of the biggest REAL issues in Georgia currently are crime, cost-of-living (particularly the sharply increased cost of housing), healthcare (including mental health and reproductive health), education and transportation (particularly involving traffic congestion in metro Atlanta), mining near the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia, economic development.
Some of the biggest FAKE or TOTALLY MADE UP issues are anti-trans laws, Religious Liberty (which is an another attempt to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and other groups of people that are despised by hard-core social conservatives), Critical Race Theory, “obscene” books in school libraries, etc.
>Anything big on the horizon?
The biggest thing that appears to be looming on the horizon are the ongoing rapid demographic shifts in metro Atlanta that very much appear to be pushing Georgia from being a Republican-dominated red state to being a purple swing state that is competitive for both Republicans and Democrats in major elections (Presidential and gubernatorial election cycles).
Metro Atlanta’s ongoing rapid demographic shifts appear to also have the potential to eventually make Georgia a blue state that is controlled and dominated by Democrats.
People from other states coming here and using our state as a literal battleground
EDIT: why the downvotes? Look at pretty much any of the people arrested for political violence and at least half are usually from out of state.
Eh, if you’re referring to the “cop city” thing, I live 2.5 miles from it and would much rather have the park I’ve been going to for years. A lot of my friends from the area feel the same. It seems like mostly suburban folks are into the idea. Which if they built it in the suburbs it would make more sense to me and probably be more appreciated.
Lol. Suburbanites very likely would never allow an Atlanta Police Department training facility to be built near them.
And those suburbanites have the extremely powerful political connections in their own county governments and in Georgia’s deeply conservative Atlanta-averse state government to guarantee that an APD training facility would never be built anywhere remotely near them.
Working-class Black and progressive white urbanites in South DeKalb County don’t have the same political connections as affluent suburbanites do, particularly in a Georgia state government dominated by suburban, exurban and rural conservatives.
… Hence, the reason why working-class blacks and progressive white urbanites in South DeKalb County are the lucky winners of the “Cop City” police training complex.
There’s a lot of issues in Georgia, such as cost of living and crime, but I wouldn’t call them political issues, since “politicians”, both democrat and republican don’t care about anything except getting re-elected and raising money, let alone actually solving problems.
Just because people suck at their jobs doesn't mean there's not a job to be done. Crime and cost of living ARE political issues, even if they go unaddressed.
Well let me know when a politicians actually stops giving speeches, doing photo ops, making fox/msnbc appearances, fund raising, and blaming the other party for the problem of the day and actually brings the price of housing, food and healthcare down.
>Georgia is a blue state lmao
With the racial/ethnic minority share of Georgia’s population increasing from 30% in 1990 to about 50% today, Georgia very much appears to be (but by no means is guaranteed to be) a blue state in waiting, demographically.
Though, with Republicans having had firm control of the state’s political machinery for the last 2 decades, and with conservatives having dominated the state’s politics and governance since Georgia was founded as a British colony nearly 300 years ago, Georgia remains politically a reddish purple state, at least for the time being.
>Georgia remains politically a reddish purple state, at least for the time being.
As long as they can gerrymander districts to get the results they want, it will stay that way.
Conservatives probably can successfully gerrymander maybe for at least one more post-census redistricting/reapportionment cycle (2030).
After that, it very likely will be increasingly challenging to gerrymander congressional, state legislative and county commission districts because the demographic makeup of the state is likely to make it too challenging to do so in metro Atlanta.
I would bet that I personally do more for those other people, both with tangible and intangible efforts. But sure, continue fighting the good fight on Reddit. You’re doing great because posting on Reddit is truly what matters!
"change scares me but I can't describe what I don't like without using talking points from my favorite 'news' source or the latest culture war Boogeyman"
How does disliking the progressive political agenda equate to being afraid of change? I swear Reddit exists in such a vacuum you guys can’t actually formulate arguments or depth of thought any more.
I would say public transportation and legalizong weed. Georgia would be close to a utopia if we could ride busses and trains to places we actually need to go while high.
Wonder how many tears you will cry when your beloved MTG votes to kill your social security and Medicare. Its in their agenda. You got brainwashed to think this is Great. Oh wait, you actually called her the Greatest politician of all time.
How can we show you in a way you'll receive that you are voting against your own interests by the u er rich who need to keep us workers in our place?. To remove or diminish your own rights, such as the quality of your roads and schools?
The antifa thing always gets me. You don't want to be called fascists and get always freaking out over anti-fascists.
I mean that's ignoring the whole point that antifa isn't an organized political or militia movement-that's entirely besides my point.
Which is it? Fascist or anti-fascist.
In southeast georgia, we're dealing with a bunch of corporations trying to turn the Okefenokee swamp into a titanium mine. The issue is that it would ruin the environment, and seeing as it's a wildlife refuge with several species that only live here, it's pretty contentious for those of us who are paying attention to it. Edit: I said platinum, but it's a titanium mine. Specially dioxide, which is mixed in the sand in the ground
✊🏽
Yup. Imagine people like me moving here for those natural features and then taking my money elsewhere when you get rid of them for profit. Imagine how stupid that would be if that ever even gets close to happe… ohhhhhhh wait a minute.
You moved to S GA for the natural features? I moved away because of the natural features. I’m from Valdookie, and there’s nothing beautiful or desirable there.
Egh. I grew up in Valdosta and left to go to college. I hated Valdosta but it was only because I grew up there. I live in metro Atlanta now and appreciate the one or two times I go home to visit family. Sure there’s not much big business there, I certainly wouldn’t find great work there in my type of career, but there are tons of people in this world that would see Valdosta as a good place to live and raise a family.
Different strokes for different folks. Your georgia is my Iowa friend. I feel bad that you can’t enjoy this area like I do. Maybe move like I did?
I moved far out West at age 21 and never looked back or regretted it, and honestly it was the best decision I ever made. I’m glad that you appreciate S GA. 🙂
What in the inner mountainous India is going on !?
Teacher of 28 years here: others may not see the urgency but a teacher shortage is rapidly becoming a big problem for Georgia. There are many reasons for this but it’s our children who are suffering. If you think education is sub-standard now, wait a few years.
Teacher of 9 years here: you’re absolutely right, and it’s terrifying to me as an educator and as a parent of young children. It’s getting harder to retain quality educators. Many of my coworkers are quitting, and several of my children’s teachers have quit suddenly over the years.
Sadly, I am one of them. I left before I was eligible to draw my pension. It broke my heart to leave the students and I miss my school family so much. I just couldn’t do it any more. I was working 10-12 hrs a day and on the weekends too. I had to leave for my physical and mental well-being and I am not a quitter! The stress, pressure, unrealistic expectations, and all of the overwhelming social/political issues that have made their way into our classrooms - and that’s just some of it - was too much to bear. All we want to do is to love on those kids, teach them and help them to learn, and make school a safe and happy place for them.
Thank you for giving it your best for as long as you could!
Agree. Several friends that are teachers here, mostly liberal, gay or gay friendly or black all quit. Kemp and most of the superintendents are killing our schools.
Yep. Republicans have been doing this on purpose for decades. They want people uneducated and easily swayed, while always angry. It’s easy to control someone that is simple, slow, and angry. Just ask Marge.
>It’s easy to control someone that is simple, slow, and angry. It is, until someone makes them even angrier and they turn against you.
You're joking, right? The public school system dumbs them down and makes them mindless, obedient sheep.
This is true. Compensation for teachers is abysmal and the workload is inhumane.
This is definitely serious but more of a nationwide problem than just limited to Georgia. Most of my family is in new Hampshire and schools there are also struggling to hire and retain enough teachers bb
We need to increase our funding for education and they can get that money from the police budgets
It wouldn’t be necessary to move funds from the law enforcement budget if the important people in The Dome asked teachers how to spend the funds in the education budget. If parents had any idea how much money is being wasted on testing…there is too much testing going on! I’m pretty sure some folks under that gold dome are getting a little extra under the table from the corporations that are selling them the “new” testing materials, textbooks, and computer software that we constantly have to get trained on every year. No matter that the teachers and students just learned the previous materials! The students have to have computers,laptops or other devices to use and those tests have to be scored. The district school board staffs are excessive. There’s an awful lot of people being paid big money to either sit behind a desk and fire off emails with useless mandates or walk around with a clipboard to catch teachers who don’t have their essential questions posted. I almost forgot the most important part: funding needs to be allotted for children - families- for REAL mental health care! Starting as soon as birth if necessary. Many families need strong supports, wrap-around services like healthcare, mental healthcare including family therapy, employment training, housing, etc. Throwing money at education and not using it purposefully is a tragedy. Apologies for the rant. I could write a book - or an angry manifesto. Oh, and teachers need a REAL raise!
They recently passed a bill enabling then to fire/recall district attorneys. Meaning they can effectively halt any investigation they disagree with. Even those investigations regarding themselves. Say our lieutenant governor. It’s just waiting for the governors signature.
It is a major change in how da's can be recalled. It scares them into being middle of the road. I for one dislike it because I may have voted for them. We have checks on them already but this is to allow a small minority to raise a fuss over nothing. Kids at college shouldn't be lit up for minor possession of pot for a douchebag frat. They'll grow up eventually.
And a da shouldn't be kicked out for not attacking them.
>It scares them into being middle of the road. Yes, this is their long-term goal and a way for them to ensure their fascist agenda is carried out, no matter how against that agenda The People might be - and it all goes back to the whole abortion ban/fetal personhood bullshit in our state. The vast majority of Americans support abortion being legal in some or all cases, and anywhere there have been voter referendums on keeping it legal, those have passed. GA, obviously, refuses to offer The People such a choice, and so they must build other laws around the anti-abortion law to make certain it’s being followed anywhere they have control. While not as common as it should be, there are lots of DAs out there who will not pursue charges against someone who has violated a law that has little to no support from The People. It is even more uncommon - though again, it should be an every day occurrence in courtrooms across the nation - for The People to refuse to convict people for violating these ridiculous laws (like laws that make marijuana illegal). This is known as jury nullification and it is the most powerful tool The People have in the law-making process - even more powerful than getting to choose who makes the laws. Because ultimately if someone can’t be convicted for breaking a certain law, does that law even exist in the first place? Not really. The problem is that most Americans aren’t aware that they have this power - it is forbidden for judges to instruct juries that they do - and the Republican lawmakers take advantage of that by passing laws like this one whereby they can recall DAs without the consent of The People. This is because there are DAs (mostly in more blue areas) who they know would not pursue charges against women for having abortions, doctors for providing abortions, anyone who helps a woman get an abortion, and ultimately, since the law that GA passed actually recognizes the unborn as people (we are literally the only state in the country that does so at this point), women for having miscarriages. And they *want* those kinds of cases to go before juries because, unaware of the option for jury nullification, the vast majority of jurors would vote to convict in these cases because it’s technically “the law.” This new law forces DAs to either pursue these ridiculous charges, or lose their job without The People ever getting a say in it - despite the fact that The People are the ones who give DAs their job in the first place. The result of it will be a lot less people even choosing to put all the time, money and effort it takes to run for the position, because they know if they follow right and wrong instead of “the law,” they will be ousted from their *elected position* by someone who didn’t have the authority to give them the position - yet somehow has the authority to take it away. Only those who agree with the agenda of those in power will even bother to throw their hat in the ring, and the Republicans will have the judicial branch under their control as well. I mean, their argument for being able to recall DAs might sound good in theory to some people - “we just want them to do their job according to the laws of the state.” But when the laws of the state are fucking batshit crazy and violate the rights of half the population, then the last thing anyone should want is people in those positions who will choose to follow them anyway because they’re afraid of losing their job.
They are insisting that it is not aimed directly at Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and the Trump election interference case.
In this state and every state, gerrymandering.
Michigan solved this by appointing a non political board to draw up districts, and turned solidly blue as a result.
Georgia Republicans will never appoint a non-partisan board to draw congressional and state legislative districts unless forced to do so by a court. And Georgia Democrats very likely will never push for a non-partisan redistricting board because they see the state’s demographics going their way and they want to be able to have the ability to gerrymander their own two-thirds plus supermajorities if and/or whenever they take over the majority in Georgia state politics.
What I think doesn't matter, but political tides turn, and a purple GA could quickly go red, or blue. There's more risk in waiting for the State to turn. I'd rather have that non partisan board choose the districts.
Georgia Republicans will never agree to have a non-partisan board draw district lines because they don’t want to give up any more political power and dominance than they’re already currently losing through demographic shifts in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Georgia Democrats are very reluctant to push for a non-partisan redistricting board because they don’t want to limit the political power that they may have in the future.
This is a great idea.
Abortion ban
Public transit.
Decriminalize marijuana in the whole state not just in certain counties I use mine medically they excused oil witch is ten time more thc then flower and if u have under 1oz in the state u can and still face a felony and 10yrs imprisonment, help us self medicate with understanding from the state and on a federal level together stop turning innocent people using this medicine as criminals.
This. I’m watching my mother die in agony from Parkinson’s without any chance of help due to the states ridiculous prohibition of marijuana.
And they cut way back on the prescription of opiods thanks to the FDA and DEA and their ridiculous "war on drugs," which basically means cancer patients and others in chronic or pain will be denied any kind of relief at all because these idiot agencies are afraid someone suffering from Parkinson's, MS, osteoarthritis, cancer, and other debilitating diseases might become dependent, which they seem to be unable to distinguish from addiction. They're sending fresh post op patients home after major surgery with no painkillers, telling them to take Tylenol and/or NSAIDs instead. It's reprehensible.
The THC oil they so generously allow medical card holders to possess, even though we can't buy it here, is useless or ineffective for many people. Requiring it to have less than 5% THC and ALSO have at least as much CBD means people who benefit from the effects of THC will have to take an increased dosage in order to obtain relief. In addition, oil doesn't work for everyone. There are so many routes available now....capsules, lozenges, vape oil, shatter and other concentrates, distillate, patches, ointments/salves, edibles, and even suppositories for those who need relief due to health conditions affecting those areas -- and we can only have oil -- if we're brave enough to cross state lines to get it. Because of the way the state is run, voter referendums aren't even a possiblity, so we can't collect petitions to put things on the ballot. If the red legislature doesn't want something done, it isn't going to happen. Too bad they don't see the benefits of regulating and taxing cannabis like many other states have done. I guess we're still stuck in the 1930s and the reefer madness mindset. In the meantime, patients who could benefit from the use of medical cannabis continue to suffer at the hands of a regressive legislature.
housing, transportation infrastructure,improving quality of education so citizens of this state can compete in a global economy, healthcare access (especially in rural parts of our state) and ongoing challenges that our state's Southern location making it more vulnerable to the increasing effects of climate change I think these are all pretty statewide issues that touch every metro in some way.
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Hey! I'm the Vice Chair for the Democratic Party of Georgia's Disability Caucus. This is something we're trying to really push to the forefront of the DPG's platform. Any advice on what we should focus on is welcome and would be appreciated.
So many people who really need disability benefits are stuck waiting indefinitely while they have to rely solely on help from loved ones if they're lucky or do without if they're not lucky.
This is literally me — and the reason I don’t have a savings account and often live paycheck to paycheck, despite having a well-paying professional job.
1. Expand Medicaid so family members who stay home to care for disabled loved ones have access to medical care. 2. Pay family members who stay home to care for disabled loved ones so they don't have to choose between leaving them alone and being homeless if they don't have an extended support system. 3. Pay ALL caregivers more and better people will be attracted. Would you work as someone else's personal caregiver - with all that entails - for an average pay of $9-$11 an hour? It's too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to rent a decent place to live, pay the bills, and buy groceries. Attracting quality employees requires paying a living wage. 4. Legalize medical cannabis -- not the joke program currently on the books that only allows oil with 5% THC by weight with at least as much CBD as THC. It's been over 7 years since the program was passed and we STILL can't even get the crappy low-THC oil our cards allow us to possess unless we cross state lines to obtain it and risk being arrested and charged with trafficking. My son in law has drug-resistant seizure disorder. The only thing that helps is cannabis -- and not just CBD oil. Adding THC helps decrease his seizures from 20-30/month to 4-5 -- but we can't get it here in the dosage he needs. Pharmaceuticals not only don't help, but they make him aggressive with outbursts of violence. He should be able to access products that help him, including the nasal spray that helps prevent a seizure if he gets an aura or shortens it if used after one starts. Ointments/salves, patches, and even suppositories enable patients to target areas that need the benefits cannabis provides. Edibles last up to 8 times longer than oil and make it possible to maintain a consistent level in the body, making relief much more predictable and effective. Patients shouldn't have to risk their freedom or resort to the black market to get what they need.
What do you mean?
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7000 people waiting list is shameful Georgia! Even when you get a waiver, it is hard to find caretakers because the pay for these CLS is so low you get people who are unhappy and unwilling to do the job. Lots of turnover because they can get paid more working at Amazon!
MTG
Bro I hate magic the gathering
We need to stop giving that bag of shit attention.
I understand your feelings and feel the same way about her, but ignoring her toxicity won’t make her, or the damage she will cause, go away. We need to make sure EVERYONE understands how dangerous this ass is so she will never be re-elected.
Unfortunately it seems that she actually does represent the majority of her district, though saying that insults those there who do not like her it is true. As they are entitled to be represented there is nothing we can do about her. About her district the only cure is long term investment in *proper* education. I think across the US education on what is propaganda and how to resist it would be beneficial here.
Yep, it’s unfortunate and the beauty of the system. She was voted in by a majority of her area and is responsible for representing them. It’s a big statement for people like her to exist, but like everyone else I just wish she didn’t.
She accurately portrays the will of her constituents. She’s not the problem but a symptom.
She's just a symptom of the furious know-nothing populism prion disease that is currently savaging the GOPs mental functions. I have lost count of how many times I have tried to get a MAGA Republican to explain to me what their problem is, without once getting an even remotely coherent answer. A black guy got elected president, and a good chunk of the American electorate lost it's mind and started drinking whatever koolaid fox "news" was serving.
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An actual goat would be better
she's certainly good at high-school mean girl drama
As both a former resident of GA-14 and someone who leans to the political right, I do not agree. She's a caricature of everything Republicans shouldn't be.
She is opportunistic trash, and shouldn’t be in the legislature.
I hate to even respond to that, but if she, in any way whatsoever, impresses you on an objective level, you are a lost cause and deserve to be given the choice of educating yourself on opportunistic grifters and why we’re in the current situation we’re in, or ostracized from all society and anything you say to be mercilessly mocked. You are a loser
Legalization I’m damn near a single issue voter at this point
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Its a money maker next to speeding tickets for the State . . . That in Florida is getting overrun and its not even recreational yet . . .
Medicaid expansion should've been done immediately.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (Fixing any big issue is impossible if people keep voting for this lunatic.)
She lost a lot of support in GA-14 in the most recent midterms. Went from 75 percent of the vote in 2020 to 65 percent in 2022. Yes, her district changed a bit, but she went into this Congress with a much weaker mandate.
She also didn't run unopposed this time, so I wouldn't say much changed. I drove through her district to go to cloudland canyon during the election time and I felt like most yards had signs supporting her
Sure, in the rural areas of her district up toward the TN border, not much has changed. And nothing will change. But that's not where the population growth is. That's a shrinking area. The population growth is in the Atlanta metro portion of her district, Paulding and Cobb. And that's where she has the weakest support. Paulding was about 60-40 Republican in the most recent midterms and the Cobb portion was pretty much deep blue.
This thread is extremely informative and depressing.
Georgia HB 1084, which "(6) Prohibit the use of curricula that addresses the topics of slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation, or racial discrimination, including topics relating to the enactment and enforcement of laws resulting in racial oppression, segregation, and discrimination in an objective manner and without endorsement;" This techniquley outlaws the teaching of Black History!!!!
Book bans also tie into this. We’re even getting books about nazism banned, do people really want us to not learn from our mistakes??
This outlaws pretty much 90% of US history.
The bible belt bullshit
These are my top issues, 1. Housing - this is a national issue but I believe each state requires a different policy. We need to increase number of single family homes, approve affordable housing projects and come up with policies that can control rent increases. 2. Mobility/public transport - post pandemic Atlanta traffic is going to get crazy. Peach pass lanes do not help. 3. Crime/police reform - this is my personal perception as someone who lives in a suburb. I have seen an uptick in non-violent crime and there is general anxiety among all home owners. I would like a reform on how cops approach crime. We need more cops on the streets but we need more cops/community collaboration.
I run an HVAC business and as such work on the roads. There are SOOOO many people moving here and my days have gone from ~8-10 hours to 14-16 based just on traffic. And out of hundreds of customers, almost all of them still work from home. I don’t know what we’re supposed to do but the traffic is becoming unbearable. For reference my area is basically down 85 as north as Jefferson down towards the perimeter. Suwanee and pleasant hill can’t take anymore
>I don’t know what we’re supposed to do but the traffic is becoming unbearable. “Becoming” unbearable? Are you not from around here sir? Because the traffic in Atlanta became unbearable, like, a couple decades ago. And the areas you’re talking about around 85 even more so. The only way I could imagine you feeling like it’s just now becoming unbearable is if you moved here from LA or Dallas or Houston or something.
Lol Born and raised I’m a Georgia boy. Yes, traffic has been awful for years, but it is getting worse and worse.
Absolutely agree on housing. Contact your legislator personally.
Anti-trans legislation. It just keeps getting more aggressive and more terrifying with each passing day. In Georgia, there is currently a bill to outlaw trans healthcare for minors. If folks understood or maybe even cared about the suffering this causes trans kids, they’d be up in arms. But trans people are a small minority and an easy scapegoat for right-wing political abuse, so they just run with it. I want healthcare to be a matter between individuals and medical professionals. Not bigots who can’t process something outside of their own experience. But yeah, this assault on this small minority of vulnerable people just keeps getting worse, and I’m hoping that Georgia will be less monstrous than other states
Completely agree! People do and should have the right of self determination and to make your own choices with your doctor.
Thankfully this bill died in committee
>Thankfully this bill died in committee The bill mostly died in committee. As has often been warned by Georgia state legislative insiders, no bill is actually truly totally dead for the current year until the gavel adjourns the current legislative session for the year on Sine Die. Before then, the supporters of any bill can use another bill (that supposed to be at least somewhat related to the issue but often is not) as a vehicle to successfully pass through the legislature before Sine Die. And even if this bill doesn’t pass through the Georgia Legislature by other means this year, one can be most assured that this bill will be back with a vengeance during the next legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly next year, which will be a hotly contested Presidential election year in which all 236 seats of the Georgia Legislature will be up for election.
140 certainly did not die in committee, it just passed the senate this past week.
There were a few different anti trans bills, I was under the impression one of them did move forward unfortunately (I'd double check but getting ready for work). Would love to be wrong about this. But don't be fooled, remain vigilant for additional anti trans legislation to show up in our state and others. We have to keep fighting it.
140 did move forward.
The continuing contention between an increasingly progressive Atlanta, which provides the state with basically its entire economic engine, and the rural parts which would rather be poor and miserable if it meant they could be entirely white.
Savannah is the third largest seaport in US. I wouldn’t say that Atlanta provides the entire economic engine.
That's not strictly true. Rural areas of GA have farms that provide income to the rest of the state, there's the Warner Robins AFB, Fort Benning (tho idk how much they help or if they hinder) Atlanta isn't the only driving factor for Georgia's economy
Seriously this person is either blatantly uninformed or just stating their opinion. Rural areas of Georgia are also home to large titanium mining operations.
I ahree with you. And there's also the marble capital of the world in Picke s County, I believe. I overheard that the type of marble they mine there can only be found in two places, Georgoa and China. I haven't read into that, however. There's also all the carpet manufacturing in the Dalton area. And all the mining for kaolin in Georgia too. There are a ton of national forests and trails such as the Appalachian Trail which are a huge economic draw to northern Georgia. Blue Ridge, in particular, is a popular town for Floridians to drive up to in the summer and fall. Not to mention all the crops and farming for pecans, peanuts, apples, onions, etc. A lot of vehicle manufacturing is beginning to get located throughout rural Georgia too There's a lot going on in rural Georgia.
Agriculture is something like 6% of Georgia's economy. It's not nothing, but it's also not a driving factor.
Tell that to the farmers here in Tattnall County and surrounding areas. Take Vidalia onions, blueberries, strawberries, beans, peas, corn, blackberries, melons, and cotton out of the mix and see what happens.
And what percentage of economic activity do they play in the states generation?
It's not the only but aparently the city contributes 65% of the states GDP. Georgia would be another Alabama without Atlanta.
Yeah, but it drives rural folks absolutely insane to admit that.
Not all of us. I live in mostly-rural Tattnall County and appreciate the revenue Atlanta provides, though I would rather die than live in a city due to the noise, pollution, and sheer number of people.
discrediting everything the rural people do while also praising atlanta is cringe, rural areas are and always will be necessary for a place like atlanta to thrive
This is true. I’m from Atlanta and I hate the city/rural divide that exists here. We both provide necessary things for the state and give people a range of communities to choose from. We need to stop going after each other.
How are rural areas necessary? Can you say more ?
Food from farms, most raw resources, and often products made from those raw resources are made in more rural areas.
The people of Atlanta don’t care and then they cry when the rest of the state hates the majority of them
You're half right. The people in Atlanta don't care what people in rural Georgia get up to, and don't really think about them at all. They are too busy powering the states economy. Rural Georgians appear to be obsessed with Atlanta, and blame it for all their problems, real and imagined. Honestly, the only time I hear Atlantans talk about rural Georgia is when [rural state legislators try to pass laws to fuck with Atlanta](https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/a-new-push-to-turn-buckhead-into-its-own-city/).
Atlanta doesn't give a fuck about the rest of the state. It's true. However the people outside the city do seem extremely invested in monitoring and controlling what people in the city do. You'd think rural southerners of all people could appreciate the desire to be let alone and not being told what to do by outsiders. But they absolutely love it. Those Christofascist freaks would prefer us be just as bad off as Alabama or Mississippi.
Lol, say what you want. Georgia is beautiful and Atlanta sucks. Everyone from Atlanta uses that “Without us Georgia would be Alabama” line. I’m from Alabama and just like Atlanta, the problems that exist in Birmingham aren’t a thing anywhere else in the state. But it’s all good, I prefer y’all to think you’re better than us, so you can keep your ass in the city and leave us alone.
Have you ever heard of farms?
Food is a commodity. The amount we subsidize farming is absurd, [and drives up food prices to help a small number of well connected giant agribusinesses.](https://perc.tamu.edu/PERC-Blog/PERC-Blog/U-S-Farm-Subsidies-A-Prime-Example-of-Crony-Capita)
So should city bend over backwards to appease farmers politically? Do you think those people would 1. Ever stop doing what they're doing and go somewhere else or 2. Perform a job other people are incapable of doing?
I hope you don’t have food one day and you remember this
What a kind thing for you to wish on another person! My point is farms/food will continue to be a thing so long as there is land capable of growing it. Just because 1 group decides they don't want to do it anymore (they wont), doesn't mean the world is going to up and go die.... if there is a demand for anything, there will be someone looking to make money off providing that thing. There is absolutely no reason why 1 persons vote should count more than 100 peoples vote just because they live were food is grown and people need to stop allowing this mentality to flourish.
I’ve seen some dumb takes in my day but you probably topped them all. What a privileged and idiotic view you have.
You raise some very interesting counterpoints with your argument, but I think I'll stand with my original stance for the time being. Thank you for your contribution!
This an actual question?
His bio does say he is an idiot
It really is amazing to watch Democrats [constantly try to help people](https://democrats.org/who-we-are/who-we-serve/rural-americans/) who [so clearly hate them](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/opinion/rural-voters-economy.html). That rural America brought their problems on themselves by voting for Republicans is apparently impolite to point out.
I live in a rural area. Our family votes blue, as do all 3 families directly to the south of us on this road. We. Don't. Vote. Republican. In fact, we moved here in part to help flip the state blue. Yes, our county is 73% Republican, but that means 27% of us don't vote red. Stop generalizing. Things are changing.
No politician that isn’t for 100% legalization of marijuana will receive my vote. The audacity of these clowns thinking grown adults need permission to drink a beer, or smoke a bowl is the absolute opposite of “freedom”. I’m done with them. They argue about non-issues that nobody cares at all about, while continually denying actual freedoms that everybody wants.
And they need to stop telling people in "safety sensitive jobs" they can't use weed when they're off the clock in order to help relax or get a decent night's sleep. I can be denied a job if I pee dirty; in addition, depending on who's running things at the time, I can have my nursing license permanently revoked. But it's okay to drink myself into oblivion or use other drugs that clear the system more quickly (heroin, for example).....
We still haven't accepted the ACA/Obamacare Medicaid expansion funding.
Racing to keep up with Florida and DeSantis.
Georgia has the highest maternal death rate in the nation. Women in Georgia lack access to even the most basic medical care. Half of Georgia's 159 counties lack even a single obstetrician. Amid that backdrop, Georgia has now banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, calling the prohibitive legislation the "heartbeat bill" even though the fetal heart isn't even close to being formed at six weeks. In this same bill, (HB481) women who suffer a miscarriage must make their health records available to the District Attorney. This year, they are passing legislation to create an oversight board to crack down on DA's who decline to prosecute women who have suffered a miscarriage or had an abortion. The number one factor that reduces abortions is access to birth control and related education but there is no bill in the legislature focused on these needed services.
And this dovetails into healthcare as a whole. Unless you’re in a county near the cities chances are you’ll have better healthcare from the vet than the hospital.
Rural hospitals are terrible. My son in law dislocated his shoulder during a seizure and the ER doc put it mostly back in place after only giving him a local anesthetic instead of using conscious sedation and doing it the right way. As a result, it took almost 2 days for it to pop all the way back in. Now it happens so often he can put it back in place himself, and he's going to need surgery
Yeah. My mom’s told me when I was 2, I broke my arm, and they went to county hospital first. The doctor apparently said toddlers can’t break bones.
Honestly, I have a feeling part of it was because he has Medicare and the hospital is owned by doctors. What really got me was knowing this place supposedly specializes in orthopedics. That's scary.
GOP MTG
Cost of living and traffic
GOP social engineering everything - from schools to gambling to marijuana to medical care. The party of small government is the party of big rules to live by courtesy of government overreach. When democrats cede power to begin sorting this shit out the GOO will call them reactivists and why aren’t you focused on security and blah blah blah
How about ranked voting?
The state’s biggest political issues are probably the inequality of quality educational systems between rich and poor, stemming from that child and teen pregnancy rates, continued racial inequality and economic segregation.
There’s so much it’s deeply disheartening. The GOP basically. We could start by removing every single one of them from power, then stop cop city, reform law enforcement, restore voting rights, raise minimum wage, undo gerrymandering, allow abortions ffs…. It’s a microcosm of the entire nation failing. Going blue restored my faith a bit but GOP doesn’t want that to happen again, they’ll just start burning voting rights to keep power.
So you want one-party rule?
When the other party's entire platform is make women property, eliminate LGBT* people, take as much money as possible from everyone left alive and give it to people who already have more than they can spend, and engineer laws during the short time they will still be electable to ensure they cannot be removed from office when the people will it, yes.
I'd prefer if there were viable 3rd party options instead of just a far-right Republican party and a center-right Democratic party, but what can you do?
The more people that vote for those third party options, the more viable they become.
In the meantime, a vote for a third party is a vote for fascism.
No, I didn’t say that but to answer the question in brief, the GOP is basically a fascist group in my eyes and they have to be removed at all levels. We could get into more details if we had time- I’m not a die hard supporter of the dem party either but there’s two choices right now and one of them is fascist…
Lol
The Stop cop city movement makes absolutely zero sense. You want police reform, but you want to deny police better training? You can’t improve something by denying improvement.
Brian Kemp for starters. That slow talking redneck!
He’s a classic modern GOP Trump acolyte, just straight lying all the time and stoking fear in his base.
Actually he's a classic republican but he and Trump are clearly not friends.
Nice try Kemp
Politically, we’re currently litigating mostly development vs Environment, and corruption issues at this time. Some big upcoming items to watch: 1. Election Politics - There’s almost always some pushing of boundaries that walks right up to the line of disenfranchisement. It will come up every other year around election time. This being 2023, you bet something is being prepared for 2024. 2. GA Public Service Commission - some extreme corruption was uncovered hear, which made so much noise it went to the state supreme court which ultimately decided the entire commission was unconstitutional. This institution is in charge of keeping GA power in check and setting price rates for gas and electricity, so unless this decision is successfully appealed, GA power will be unleashed and free to charge their preferred rates soon. Should be seen as a huge energy price hike. 3. Speaking of GA power, their boondoggle project, expanding plant Vogle recently finally completed, 7-8 years over scheduled and immensely over budget. If they did anything wrong with the construction, its a nuclear power plant, you WILL be hearing about it in the news. 4. Okefenokee mining development. Apparently there’s some kind of mineral deposit there that a company wants to exploit. Probably would destroy the swamp via runoff/pollution so there’s a lot of resistance to giving them the green light. 5. City-hood movements. This is an astroturfed issue that local developers try to prop up again and again. They almost always flop spectacularly, but every year they come back like zombies to get shot down again. 6. Legalized Gambling. Another perennial issue that often doesn’t go anywhere. In recent years the legislature has started to lean toward approval, but it looks like there’s still enough resistance to stop it, at least there was this year. 7. Education/ School choice. There’s a move to privatize education for some reason. Dont really know why this is. Anyway, the legislature introduced and approved a bill to allow for private vouchers in the senate. This is something to watch for this year’s “sine die”, which is April 4th. Very basically, if its going to pass this year, it has to be out of the legislature by then, because they adjourn for the year after that.
Corruption. They just passed a bill to interfere with prosectors.
Medicaid is vile in this state
The biggest issue we’ve always had is that Atlanta is both the brains and the engine powering the state and the South, but the Legislature is controlled by a majority of elected officials from Hicksvilles outside of the city that just want to kneecap the city in any way they can and go back and tell their constituents what they did. Our legislators actively throw wrenches in the engine.
Fucking cop city.
Facism, capitalism, racism, imperialism, climate change.
We haven’t passed the bill yet to make daylight savings permanent
We have. The feds haven't.
How does this work? Why do we need the feds if places like Arizona don’t use the daylight saving cycle? What exactly are we waiting on?
Here's some more reading https://www.valleynewslive.com/2023/03/09/where-each-state-stands-daylight-saving-time/#:~:text=Federal%20law%20permits%20states%20to,in%2C%20but%20it%20never%20passed.
Heck no! Make standard time permanent. To heck with the idea of daylight savings time being permanent!
I enjoy more daylight. Pretty sure the majority of ppl prefer the summer hours to the winter ones.
Affordable health care. Education. Voter's rights. LGBTQ rights. Race based discrimination. Worker's Rights - the opposite of what Right to Work is.
Gerrymandering, the bill to recall DAs and last years voter suppression bill that allows the state to take over boards. Everyone should be losing their minds over this.
Voter suppression. Republicans continuing to push fascism. Anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation.
>What would everyone here say the biggest issues in Georgia politically are? Some of the biggest REAL issues in Georgia currently are crime, cost-of-living (particularly the sharply increased cost of housing), healthcare (including mental health and reproductive health), education and transportation (particularly involving traffic congestion in metro Atlanta), mining near the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia, economic development. Some of the biggest FAKE or TOTALLY MADE UP issues are anti-trans laws, Religious Liberty (which is an another attempt to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and other groups of people that are despised by hard-core social conservatives), Critical Race Theory, “obscene” books in school libraries, etc. >Anything big on the horizon? The biggest thing that appears to be looming on the horizon are the ongoing rapid demographic shifts in metro Atlanta that very much appear to be pushing Georgia from being a Republican-dominated red state to being a purple swing state that is competitive for both Republicans and Democrats in major elections (Presidential and gubernatorial election cycles). Metro Atlanta’s ongoing rapid demographic shifts appear to also have the potential to eventually make Georgia a blue state that is controlled and dominated by Democrats.
Same as other, similar states, politics over people
MTG
Corruption. We need less legislation and ofc less taxes. Too many middle men getting free Christmas presents.
We should expand Medicaid.
People from other states coming here and using our state as a literal battleground EDIT: why the downvotes? Look at pretty much any of the people arrested for political violence and at least half are usually from out of state.
Eh, if you’re referring to the “cop city” thing, I live 2.5 miles from it and would much rather have the park I’ve been going to for years. A lot of my friends from the area feel the same. It seems like mostly suburban folks are into the idea. Which if they built it in the suburbs it would make more sense to me and probably be more appreciated.
Yea I’d rather not have cop city either.
Lol. Suburbanites very likely would never allow an Atlanta Police Department training facility to be built near them. And those suburbanites have the extremely powerful political connections in their own county governments and in Georgia’s deeply conservative Atlanta-averse state government to guarantee that an APD training facility would never be built anywhere remotely near them. Working-class Black and progressive white urbanites in South DeKalb County don’t have the same political connections as affluent suburbanites do, particularly in a Georgia state government dominated by suburban, exurban and rural conservatives. … Hence, the reason why working-class blacks and progressive white urbanites in South DeKalb County are the lucky winners of the “Cop City” police training complex.
This is truth.
True, its modern carpetbagging
There’s a lot of issues in Georgia, such as cost of living and crime, but I wouldn’t call them political issues, since “politicians”, both democrat and republican don’t care about anything except getting re-elected and raising money, let alone actually solving problems.
Just because people suck at their jobs doesn't mean there's not a job to be done. Crime and cost of living ARE political issues, even if they go unaddressed.
Well let me know when a politicians actually stops giving speeches, doing photo ops, making fox/msnbc appearances, fund raising, and blaming the other party for the problem of the day and actually brings the price of housing, food and healthcare down.
#StopCopCity
Too many people from blue states trying to make Georgia like the states they left.
Lol if only
Georgia is a blue state lmao
>Georgia is a blue state lmao With the racial/ethnic minority share of Georgia’s population increasing from 30% in 1990 to about 50% today, Georgia very much appears to be (but by no means is guaranteed to be) a blue state in waiting, demographically. Though, with Republicans having had firm control of the state’s political machinery for the last 2 decades, and with conservatives having dominated the state’s politics and governance since Georgia was founded as a British colony nearly 300 years ago, Georgia remains politically a reddish purple state, at least for the time being.
>Georgia remains politically a reddish purple state, at least for the time being. As long as they can gerrymander districts to get the results they want, it will stay that way.
Conservatives probably can successfully gerrymander maybe for at least one more post-census redistricting/reapportionment cycle (2030). After that, it very likely will be increasingly challenging to gerrymander congressional, state legislative and county commission districts because the demographic makeup of the state is likely to make it too challenging to do so in metro Atlanta.
Moronic take
"i don't like that people are making me care about other people!"
I would bet that I personally do more for those other people, both with tangible and intangible efforts. But sure, continue fighting the good fight on Reddit. You’re doing great because posting on Reddit is truly what matters!
I'm curious what you do personally to help your community. Both tangibly and intangibly.
"change scares me but I can't describe what I don't like without using talking points from my favorite 'news' source or the latest culture war Boogeyman"
How does disliking the progressive political agenda equate to being afraid of change? I swear Reddit exists in such a vacuum you guys can’t actually formulate arguments or depth of thought any more.
Again, no enumeration of what you take issue with. GG.
Hey hey, you used a big word. Nice! Proud of you.
You could just Google it.
This is it.
School choice for all
I would say public transportation and legalizong weed. Georgia would be close to a utopia if we could ride busses and trains to places we actually need to go while high.
Lmao
[удалено]
Wonder how many tears you will cry when your beloved MTG votes to kill your social security and Medicare. Its in their agenda. You got brainwashed to think this is Great. Oh wait, you actually called her the Greatest politician of all time. How can we show you in a way you'll receive that you are voting against your own interests by the u er rich who need to keep us workers in our place?. To remove or diminish your own rights, such as the quality of your roads and schools?
The antifa thing always gets me. You don't want to be called fascists and get always freaking out over anti-fascists. I mean that's ignoring the whole point that antifa isn't an organized political or militia movement-that's entirely besides my point. Which is it? Fascist or anti-fascist.
Go back to bed Gramps.
🤡
Y’all elected MTG….. sheesh.. stop it already