Radical Georgia Moderate

YET MORE ON THE GLENNTAX

Ialways used to worry that if someone was trying to pull a fast one on me, that they’d hide their intentions well enough that I might go along only to be burned later. I’ve found that I usually don’t have to worry about that, because given enough time most people just can’t resist telling everyone else how clever they are. Case in point: Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson.

At first he tried to say that the GlennTax (known to its three supporters as the GREAT Tax) wasn’t a power grab against local government.

Then he said, well maybe it’s just a little check.

Now, the cat is out of the bag, and even he isn’t trying to pretend like it isn’t what I and other people have been saying it is all along: an attempted coup against local governments.

Witness this quote from The Stache in this OnlineAthens forum (h/t Jmac):

These “government officials” simply want to keep their power to raise your taxes regardless of whether you can pay them rather than doing what is in the best interest of you, their constituents. The GREAT plan does not take away their taxing ability but rather takes away their ability to continue to raise taxes with no oversight. Even if the officials who raised taxes are voted out of office, those tax increases will never be reversed.

Local officials like to claim we are taking away local control. They think local control is allowing local governments, year after year, to raise taxes whether or not their constituents can afford it. It most certainly is not. There are few things more essential to the Republican philosophy than maintaining a government close to the people. Local officials simply are playing a word game. I think local control is letting citizens decide, through a vote, when the system needs to change and letting them decide each and every day at the cash register how much they pay in taxes.

The snark quotes surrounding “government officials” ought to tell you all you need to know about his view of local governments’ sovereignty, but he keeps going.

The plan “does not take away their taxing ability but rather takes away their ability to continue to raise taxes with no oversight.” I can’t even follow the “logic” here.

(Hey, look Glenn, I can use snark quotes too. See how I implied there that your explanation lacks any basis in logic without actually saying that by putting quotation marks around “logic”? I can keep going: “integrity” … “marital fidelity” … “sanity” … “residence in the district you were elected in” … “male genitalia” … “fresh breath”)

So… local governments are free to tax as long as the Legislature is in charge of approving, collecting, and redistributing those taxes to local governments. It’s just a little oversight, relax guy!

His attempt to redefine local control is a flimsy and idiotic rationalization. I mean, I guess if I were House Speaker I could say that people should be able to vote to install a monarchy, right? Oh, oops, that’s already what he’s trying to do, bad example. I know, let’s make a constitutional amendment outlawing constitutional amendments.

Moron.

Oh, and DuBose Porter, you’re a fucking wimp for not calling him out on this bullshit.

WINECOFF HOTEL TO REOPEN

The “absolutely fireproof” Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, site of the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history, is set to reopen soon:

On Dec. 6, 1946, fire broke out on the third floor of the Winecoff, which had 280 occupants at the time. Most of the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation, but some people died from falling or jumping out windows to escape the flames and smoke.

The fire’s cause was officially listed as unknown, but in a 1993 book “The Winecoff Fire” authors Sam Heys and Allen Goodwin outlined suspicions that it was arson.

The hotel lacked fire-safety measures now common in public buildings, such as sprinkler systems and corner stairwells or other fire escapes. The Winecoff fire, combined with two other deadly fires in the U.S. that year, led officials to create model fire safety codes for cities. The updated codes required sprinklers, multiple exits and bans on flammable materials in buildings.

It must be haunted. We should have a campout there with portable, low-quality recorders to try to capture some EVPs.

Amber and I have been wondering why everything described as (something)-proof seems to be part of a tragedy involving (something). The Titanic being the obvious example. I don’t believe in God, but the apparent karmic payback levied on anyone with enough hubris to make such a ridiculous statement does make me wonder if there’s something supernatural charged with balancing the universe.

A Google search for The Winecoff Fire turns up a blog that appears to be maintained by the authors of the book mentioned in the article. Check it out.

h/t Cracker Squire

September 19, 2007

VOL PLAYER CRIES ‘UNCLE’ DURING FLORIDA GAME

From GatorCountry, as quoted by AOL FanHouse, here’s a story told by Gators tight end and special teams player Derek Baldry:

“On the point-after attempt, after the 48th point, one of the guys rushing, I guess, decided he didn’t want to go too hard. Instead of shooting through the gap, which is where he would have come through me, he kind of ran into me and kind of pulled up and said ‘whoa, whoa, whoa’ as if I were going to deliver a hit to him. Verbatim he said, ‘I don’t want to rush this s— anymore, I’m too f—-g tired.’ That’s what he said.

“As he was saying ‘whoa, whoa, whoa,’ I thought the play had been whistle dead or a flag had been thrown or something. I didn’t understand what was going on. I kind of looked around real quick and I saw the refs with his arms up in the air, showing it was a good kick, and that’s when I tapped him on the head and ran off.”

Losing sucks, but it happens sometimes. I love my alma mater, and will root for the football team whether they’re 13-0 or 0-13. As long as they don’t quit like a bunch of spineless prima donnas.

Fulmer should kick that player off the team. Or better yet, kick himself off the team for coaching quitters. This is unacceptable.

Cross-posted to my Rocky Top Talk diary

Update 10:13 p.m. Fulmer disputes the allegation.

Ainge first disputes it, but then says:

“If it happened, then whoever said that would need to take a hard look in the mirror because there’s a lot of guys that would do anything to go out and play on the special teams for the University of Tennessee.

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t want him playing for me on my team, period.”