| It truly is an honor to serve Union, Towns, Rabun & White counties. Sometimes that service comes in the form of stress, little sleep and big pressure Other times that service comes in the form of perseverance, fun and excitement. Usually it’s a mix, but one thing that is consistent is that there’s always a lot of hard work. This week that hard work paid off. I’ll first tell you about my personal favorite, and something that should give fellow limited government conservatives a lot of hope. As you know, the natural course of things is for government to grow. Too often, only a small group of my colleagues and I stand against the tidal wave of new regulations and new taxes. I have sometimes been the only dissenting vote against big government. So what’s the point? One of my colleagues made a confession I am extremely grateful for; he stated that every time concerns are brought up, or even just one NO vote is on the board, it makes him think twice. It makes him wonder if he missed something, and why this bill didn’t pass the limited government litmus test. That’s progress right there! We are moving the ball forward. Last column I mentioned a $274 million tax increase that passed the house with only a dozen or so dissenting votes. Another bill would give a special tax break on high-end boats; we’re talking million dollar boats here. As a free-market capitalist I am certainly not against individuals making a lot of money and using it as they please, but I am against anyone getting special privileges, especially when it comes to taxes. What we need is a level playing field, with lower and fair taxes for everyone. The special tax break passed and was shortly there after followed by another special tax break, this time, much closer to home. This tax exemption would affect concrete mixing equipment, and would directly benefit my family’s construction company’s bottom line. I voted NO. Why should I get a special tax break, but not the tractor supplier or the hotel owner? That sounds like a lot of bad news Matt, where’s the good news? The numbers! It was most apparent Thursday when a bi-partisan coalition came together and defeated a bill that would’ve put more regulations and costs on low-voltage contractors. The bill failed, with 117 Representatives voting NO. That NO represents jobs protected and consumer’s wallets safeguarded. Last week we also safeguarded jobs, for doctors this time, with a nearly unanimous YES vote. With HB 157 the House repealed language that gave certain doctors a monopoly when it came to who is allowed to advertise their services, and how. That’s a whole code section of laws that harmed the free-market, gone! Last but not least in the list of great news, is HB 364, my $5 hotel/motel tax repeal. I’m excited to announce that Chairman Tanner confirmed a Sub-Committee hearing. The process down here isn’t always pretty, and it can take a long time to simply get the conversation started sometimes, but that’s the job. Building relationships, putting in the work, treating everyone fairly, and doing what is right by your constituents goes a long way. Talking about relationships, it has been wonderful to have such a great relationship with Young Harris College. This week we had quite a few visits from YHC, including the president Cathy Cox and education students. | 
