nickchester

I think and hope that the pattern of the Feds granting waivers for different mandates will continue. I am also hopefull that we don't have anymore "help" from the State.

I intentionally left out the Federal G. because they are heavy handed and they exert a lot more control than the State. I think with the dismantling of NCLB we are seeing the Feds recognize that decreased funding should equal less mandates. So to answer your question, the Feds have a great deal of control for less money but they are backing away. With the State Gov. allegedly being closer to the people you would think they would understand that concept as well and back off. I think when some R's say "local control" they don't really mean it.

Those are interesting and good points. I think most of the local Boards around the state are looking at the same issues. I know that many of the people running for public office across the state are touting some sort of "fix" for public education but none are proposing less regulation. I am not sure how many more State mandated policies education can take. Case in point: I know the legislator who sponsored the "bullying" bill. I personally worked on the bill and its language. However I don't think the state should be in the business of passing one size fits all local discipline policies. The p

I don't think this informatin is surprising but I was interested in what our citizens thought about more State control with less resources. I will past part of the article on funding "For the first time in 16 years, local governments paid a higher share of the cost of public education than state governments" "Georgia’s public primary and secondary schools got about 38 percent of their funding from the state, with local government paying about 48 percent. Federal and private sources accounted for the rest" The policy question now becomes: How much input should the state have in local

I am extremely proud of the team that we are putting together here in Paulding County. We are on the way to putting together a strong economic engine with great jobs, great infrastructure and great schools. I commend all of the people that worked on making this happen.

The short answer is no. The signs are still private property and candidates have to be given a reasonable amount of time to recover their property. I have a clean up crew that will recover candidates signs after the election (Taylor Farm/ Southside area). We will return all of the signs to the party office or if any of the candidates want to contact me, I will have the signs delivered to your office. Donations are always welcome to the kids in the pickup truck picking up the signs.

Thank you for hosting the meeting and it was great to see some of my friends again.

AG Sam Olens has a lot of information on the new open meetings laws/open records law on his website. The new law also empowers the AG's office to enforce the law and impose civil penalties (fines) and/or prosecute violators to pursue criminal sanctions. It is a new law so the breadth and scope of it are still unclear but my understanding of it is that citizens will have increased access to information. Now to be clear, this law is different from the transparency and ethics laws that apply to elected officials. This law applies mostly to the government and goverenment agencies. Transparenc

look at the Dave Ramsey website.

FYI, Some of the jobs posted are not intended to be filled. One of the requirements for applying for a work permit/visa for a foreign worker is to post for the job for a certain amount of time. Then if the company is unable to fill the position they can bring in a foreign worker and tell the government that they "tried" to hire a US worker but none were available. That is why some companies have jobs that are so specific in description that no one really qualifies.

The train ride is something worth doing. Make sure you go in the fall when it is nice out and you will really enjoy it.

I would not attempt to cut the grass or perform any maintenance on the property without permission because of the tresspassing issues. If the property is vacant you may want to check the records at the Courthouse to see if the property was actually forclosed on. The new strategy for banks is to not actually forclose on the property so that they do not have to take ownership. Thus the property is abandoned but still legally the responsibiltiy of the old owner NOT THE BANK.

Hard was maybe not the best phrase. Complex is probably the better word. We have complex issues that can't be resolved with sound bytes and easy answers.

That's a good attempt. But pointing out the problems is the easy part. Solutions are hard!

Yep. You have to stay informed!

You really need to contact a labor and employment attorney. The labor laws are pretty confusing and I would not suggest you take any advise that can't really help you. Most attorneys will consult with you for free so its worth the time to contact someone that practices in that area. If you need a referral PM me and I can give you a couple of numbers.

I was taking my one excused absence. I had a prior engagement that was scheduled a year out and could not miss it. I would have loved to make it so that I could vote on the budget. It is a extremely important issue.

Congratulations on making it to another school year. I visited several schools this morning and everyone was genuinely excited. Thank you to all of the teachers, staff and parents for working hard and getting ready for another year. Please, please, please remember to watch out for the kids in the morning and in the evening.

Nothing like a little friendly competition. Cash Prizes and Bragging rights!

Seriously! Chili cook off! It's blasphemy to speak of such stuff. Maybe up in Fanning County they can do such things but I would be offended by anything like that. I think a real Southern competition involves Brunswick stew or Bar B Que! I personally would love to see a competition of that nature. Well lets get started then! I am sponsor #1. $100 dollar bill to the best Brunswick Stew and Bread. More importantly, bragging rights for Paulding County. I will put out the rest of the details in 30 days but we will have a 5 judge panel, etc. and we will have the competition thi

The swearing in ceremony for Paulding County elected officials will be held on December 17, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. The ceremonies will be conducted at the Watson Government Complex, 240 Constitution Blvd., 1st floor, Dallas, GA 30132. All members of the public are invited to attend.

I had a picture. I did not have time to dig out the DD214. I also had my dog tags and my BDU top. Many folks just had on their old uniform top.

On November 11th we celebrate all of the men and women who gave their lives for this country. It seems that in times of great need the best our country has to offer will answer the call of duty. It has been this way in our country for generations and will be this way for generations to come. Our proud history of sacrifice is an example to many freedom loving countries around the world. Please take time in your day to honor those who wear and have worn the uniform.

My older brother and I eat lunch at Applebees every year for veterans day. It's always a geat day and you get to meet a lot of good folks. Last year we shared a table with a Navy vet and another Marine vet.

I attended the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education forum today. http://www.ajc.com/n...ate-590030.html The audience was made up of policy professionals, elected officials, school administrators and stake holders. All three candidates for State School Super vowed to find new ways for funding education and support more local control of the educational systems. The two major party candidates were extremely knowledgeable on the topics and I invited both to come to Paulding and speak about their education agendas. I encourage everyone to go to the candidates website and take a