The Atlanta Journal today reports that Gov. Sonny Perdue is going to provide property tax relief to homeowners. Sounds good, right? Not really. His scheme is use the $460 million in Medicaid stimulus money Georgia’s to get, cut what Georgia would have provided to our most needy citizens, cut $99 million from K-12 education and another $20 million from Georgia’s universities (K-12 and the universities we cut $150 million this year already), and borrow $150 million from Georgia’s reserves to do it. Robbing our children. Robbing our sick. Robbing our potential. Robbing our competitiveness. Make me hope there’s a hell.

I’m reminded of a famous scene in “The Paper”…

SPAULDING GRAY: Well, I hope you’re satisfied, (bleep)! You just blew your chance to cover the world!

MICHAEL KEATON: Really. Well, guess (bleeping) what? I don’t really (bleeping) care. You want to know (bleeping) why? Because I don’t live in the (bleeping) world! I live in (bleeping) New York City, so go (bleep) yourself!

I don’t live in (bleeping) Georgia. I live in (bleeping) Atlanta.

• Sunday’s Atlanta Journal reported that  (bleeping) firearm permits are up 79% in 2008 and attributed the increase to fear “that it might become harder to get a permit during the Obama administration.” I am sincerely hopeful their fears are  (bleeping) justified, but am embarrassed and apologize for (bleeping) Georgia.
• They also reported that our (bleeping) Federal government has asked for an $8.2 million refund from three (bleeping) Georgia school districts that included (bleeping) Atlanta who wrongfully received the millions in per-pupil aid for victims of (bleeping) Katrina. Shame on (bleeping) Georgia. Shame on (bleeping)  us. I apologize.
• The (bleeping) Atlanta Journal reports that our (bleeping) governor, (bleeping) Sonny Perdue, has recommended eliminating all school nurse positions to save money. I can only presume that he feels (bleeping) Georgia is ranked too high on the number of healthy kids. What a (bleeping) jerk. I apologize for Georgia.
• The (bleeping) New York Times reports that during 2008 (bleeping) Georgia’s welfare rolls shrank by 11% last year and by 70% since early 1990s. I remember reading something about the (bleeping) economy recently. What was it? Oh, yeah, it was the (bleeping) worst time since the (bleeping) depression. Way to go (bleeping) Georgia. I apologize.
• Even in (bleeping) Georgia, every (bleeping) criminal defendant has the right to be represented by a (bleeping) attorney and if they can not afford one, the (bleeping) court appoints an (bleeping) attorney. The problem in (bleeping) Georgia, is that we don’t provide enough (bleeping) money to pay the (bleeping) public defenders. Sure the (bleeping) high-profile Brian Nichols’ case sucked $1.5 million out of the (bleeping) system last year. But in (bleeping) Georgia, we don’t fund indigent defense with (bleeping) taxes. Since 2004, we fund what we fund with fees and fines imposed on criminal sentences and those filing civil cases. By itself, that is a (bleeping) nasty way to fund it and I apologize for (bleeping) Georgia. But in the “wisdom” of our (bleeping) legislature, we raise too much, so they suck off (intentional) millions each year for other (bleeping) purposes. I apologize for  (bleeping) Georgia. And I apologize for defendants not receiving a speedy (bleeping) trial because they have to wait in line to get a (bleeping) attorney. And I apologize to the (bleeping) attorneys for (bleeping) Georgia randomly paying them reduced (bleeping) fees because that’s all the (bleeping) money on hand. Shame on us.

And for all the worst lists that (bleeping) Georgia leads or is among the bottom (here’s a quick, but partial list: Worst (bleeping) Senators; Worst (bleeping) Legislature; Worse (bleeping) Governor (it is a close race to the (bleeping) bottom); Worse (bleeping) Plan for Draught; Worst (bleeping) State Flag; Worst Places to Cast a (bleeping) Vote; Least Progressive (bleeping) State; Worst Infant Mortality; Worst (bleeping) Nursing Homes, Worst (bleeping) Schools; Worst (bleeping) Graduation Rate; Worst (bleeping) Foreclosure Rate; Worst (bleeping) Poverty Income Tax Threshold; Worst in Number of (bleeping)Uninsured; Worst (bleeping) Syphilis and Chlamydia Rates; Worst Funding for (bleeping) Public Health (one might wonder if they are (bleeping) connected); Worst Funded (bleeping) Medicaid Program; Worst (bleeping) Credit Laws; Worst (bleeping) Speed Traps; Worst (bleeping) State for Knowledgeable (bleeping) Drivers; Worst (bleeping) Peanut Plant; Worst (bleeping) Power Plant Pollution; etc. ), I (bleeping) apologize, but I live in (bleeping) Atlanta.