Lack of leadership: Vernon Jones attacks Governor Brian Kemp

News, State & National
Vernon Jones

ELLIJAY, Ga – Former State Representative and Trump ally Vernon Jones continued to flirt with the idea of running for Georgia Governor as a Republican.

Jones switched the Republican Party in January after previously stating he had no plans to do so. However, his tweets “if I were governor” suggested he wants to primary current Governor Brian Kemp (R).

At 10 a.m. at Liberty Park on Friday, April 16, Jones will make an announcement whether he is running or not. If he does announce, it’s like Trump will endorse him.

He’s promised an “overhaul” of Georgia’s election system if he was governor but didn’t go into details.

As for switching parties, Jones asked for the same treatment as past Republicans who started out as Democrats, such as former Governor’s Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal. If reelected, Kemp will be the first life-long Republican to reattain the office since Reconstruction.

Jones added that not everyone agrees, and no one should expect 100 percent agreement. He claimed that Democrats disagreed with his conservative nature for 30 years, and now, he no longer has to abide by their rules.

Kemp’s leadership or lack there of was the focus of Jones talking points. He wanted to know why Kemp let MLB pull the All-Star game from Georgia, what actions did he take to prevent it? Did Kemp speak with Delta about their objections to SB 202. According to Jones, Kemp’s failures to address voter integrity issues months ago, cost Georgia money.

Accusing Kemp of hiding and letting the General Assembly clean up his mess, Jones attacked the governor for not taking a proactive role in November 2020. He didn’t call a special session to discuss election issues. Several Democrats and Republicans have praised Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) for not bending to the will of Trump during that time.

However, other Georgia voters lost faith in the system after the General Election. Legislators spoke at length during the 2021 Session about constituents calling to express their voting concerns.

Gov. Kemp and Lawmakers Ignoring Proven $100 million Annual Revenue Source

Opinion, Politics
Public Health Emergency

System working in Oklahoma since 2010 involves no sports betting

Written and submitted by D.A. King

 

Georgia voters should be asking why Governor Kemp and all concerned under the Gold Dome are ignoring a proven successful process to create a new revenue stream estimated to add about $100 million to Georgia coffers annually. 

It’s a refundable fee on money wired out of the state that has been working in Oklahoma for more than a decade and will not cost state tax-filers a penny. 

Many of us would be keen on hearing about this from the assorted state lawmakers pushing to start the casino gambling stone down the hill by legalizing sports betting as source of revenue. With the current ongoing pandemic budget woes, $100 million in new, yearly revenue seems like real money.

Well-written legislation was introduced in previous years that would mimic a working system in Oklahoma that has added to that state’s budget since 2010. The Gold Dome legislation is still readily available. This idea may require citizen pressure to receive the focus it warrants because the “business first” special interest lobby in Atlanta has worked hard to keep the proven system out of public sight or official consideration. The measure has never seen a hearing.

Oklahoma has shown us a way to tap into the enormous amount of money that is sent out of Georgia every year that now goes nowhere near the Georgia economy or state coffers – and the best news is that the majority of that money comes from drug dealers and illegal aliens!

What is it? A small, 100% refundable fee on funds wired out of Georgia that tax-filers easily recoup on their state tax returns. In simple terms, it goes like this: Let’s say you wire $1000.00 to Aunt Tilly in New York to help with her rent – or you send part of your under-the-table cash wages from your landscaping job to family in Oaxaca. When the payment is sent out, the wire service would add on a small extra fee  (around 2%) – which you would get back when you file your tax return or a simple, short form explaining that you are not required to file a return. 

The wire transfer agency would be compensated by the state for the collection effort.

The fee would be added to all the money the criminal black market – including illegal drug dealers and “undocumented workers” wire home literally every day.

The government of Mexico alone received about $25 billion American dollars in 2019, mostly from its citizens living here in the good old USA. That is more money than Mexico made on oil revenues. “Against initial estimates and despite the COVID-19 crisis, we estimate that remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean will reach US$ 70.4 billion (+6.0%) and in Mexico to US$ 39.5 billion (+8.4%) in 2020” according to economists who study the topic.

According to the Oklahoma Tax Commission for the year 2019, Oklahoma realized more than $19 million from the refundable wire transfer fee system, largely provided by black market labor. According to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, Georgia has more illegal aliens than Arizona – and many more than Oklahoma. We don’t have figures on how many American dollars are sent out of Georgia by drug dealers, but Atlanta is a known terminus for that insidious organized crime.

The income for the state in this genius plan comes from the fact that the huge majority of criminals in the underground economy do not file a tax return. 

Everyone who files a state tax return or special short form can get the fee back. Fake news from the Atlanta Journal Constitution on a previous attempt to see passage of this available revenue stream bill requires me to repeat: The fully refundable wire transfer withholding would apply to everyone who wires money out of Georgia, regardless of its final destination.

The AJC falsely reported that the fully refundable wire transfer fee concept is a “tax” and apply only to foreigners sending money to their home countries. And they didn’t seem to like the idea that it would affect illegal aliens. 

We hope the Governor Kemp and concerned, responsible legislators will take a hard look at the proven $100 million a year revenue program for themselves – maybe even give it a hearing. 

Georgia voters should do more than merely hope. Governor Kemp’s office is 404-656-1776.

A recognized authority on illegal immigration and Georgia’s General Assembly, D.A. King is president of the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society. He is not a member of any political party. @DAKDIS

 

The Left is Targeting Georgia

Opinion, Politics

In November 2004, Georgia Republicans gained control of the State House to complete the trifecta of
holding the Governor’s Mansion, State Senate, and State House. Since then, the Peach State has held a
reputation as a solid red state. While Republicans have controlled Georgia for nearly two decades, it
would be naïve and disingenuous to assume that some seismic ideological shift occurred amongst
Georgians in the early 2000s. Georgians did not go to bed one night Democrats and wake up
Republicans the next morning. Rather, Georgia’s citizenry recognized how the parties had changed. As
former Gilmer County Commission Chair JC Sanford once told me, “Georgia didn’t leave the Democratic
Party. The Democratic Party left Georgia.”

Georgia is not just a state that has been solid red for 16 years. More specifically, whether controlled by
Democrats or Republicans, Georgia is a state that has been a solid conservative for centuries. Yes,
believe it or not, there used to be conservative Democrats. Democratic icon President John F. Kennedy
was pro-life, an NRA member, strengthened the military, cut spending, and cut taxes. Our former
Democrat U.S. Senator Sam Nunn chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted with Ronald
Reagan more than most Republicans, and regularly clashed with the liberal members of his party. When
the national Democratic Party shifted to liberalism in the mid-60s, Georgians quickly realized this. For
three straight presidential elections, the Peach State was won by conservatives not in the Democratic
Party – Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964, American Independent George Wallace in 1968, and
Republican Richard Nixon in 1972. Even in more recent Republican Primaries, you can see Georgia’s
conservative roots on display. When the national Republican Party pushed moderates John McCain and
Mitt Romney in 2008 and 2012, the Georgia Republican Primary was won by battle tested conservatives
Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich. Simply, Georgia has only briefly been a solid red state, but Georgia
has always been a solid conservative state.

For most of our history, Georgia has had one set of values. Parties changed, but Georgia did not. This is
no longer the case. The values of many places in Georgia are changing. We here in north Georgia must
recognize this and learn from this. Learning from this, we must decide that we are going to fight change.
Historically, the suburbs of Cobb, Gwinnett, Fulton, and Forsyth Counties were Republican strongholds.
This is no longer the case. These counties encompass the 6th and 7th Congressional Districts. In 2016,
Republican Tom Price won the 6th District by 23 points. That same year, Republican Rob Woodall won
the 7th District by 21 points. By 2018, many changes in these districts had occurred. Atlanta is one of the
fastest growing cities in the nation. As businesses move to our state, so do individuals. Individuals from
California, New York, and many other states, where liberal policies are pushing businesses out, are
moving here and bringing their liberal values with them. In the 2018 midterm election, a Democrat won
the 6th District by 1 point. Just next door, Rob Woodall only held onto his 7th District seat by 433 votes.
This is a shocking and rapid change of events.

Recent polling suggests that the Democrats have only gained ground in these districts since 2018.
Reasons cited are less than conservative. Many people in these districts are turned off by the GOP’s
defense of the Second Amendment. Many disapprove of the GOP’s pro-life policies. These points as well
as a disdain for President Trump have driven these districts into the hands of the Democrats. National
Democrats have capitalized on this opportunity. Liberal groups organized by Barack Obama and George
Soros are flooding metro-Atlanta Democratic campaigns with money aimed at shifting Georgia to the
left. Obama has gone as far as endorsing seven Democratic candidates for the Georgia State Legislature.

Sadly, the efforts of the left are bearing fruit. What we are witnessing is a seismic shift in the values of
the metro-Atlanta suburbs.

While the suburbs cite President Trump as a reason for moving left, rural north Georgia is more
energized than ever because of President Trump. President Trump understands the plight of our rural
communities over the past 25 to 30 years. After the Cold War, our nation began transitioning from a
national economy towards a global economy. We were told by the experts that we should do this
because there would be a net economic benefit. What they did not tell us is that the emphasis should
have been on net, not benefit. The term “net” means that there would be winners and losers of
globalization, but the gains would outweigh the losses. Here is the reality: globalization gave the suburbs
cheaper luxury cars, but it shut down our factories. Globalization destroyed the backbone of the rural
economy while the suburbs got richer. President Trump saw this and realized the need to make America
great again.

During the Great Recession, our economy in north Georgia was crushed. One commercial property in
Gilmer County was once a factory employing dozens. It sold for $920,000 in 1999. After 17 more years of
bi-partisan globalization, the property sat vacant and sold for $150,000 in 2016. While places like
Alpharetta were back to boom town days by 2012, places like Ellijay spent many more years mired in the
wake of the Great Recession. The reason President Trump is so popular in rural America is because he
understands what has happened to our communities and he did something about it. Since Trump was
inaugurated, the rural north Georgia economy has been booming. President Trump heard our voices,
and he went to bat for us. It is now time for us to go to bat for him.

Georgia did not experience a shift in values in the early 2000’s, but today is a different story. The
suburbs have abandoned conservative values and given themselves over to the Democrats. As Governor
Kemp proved in 2018, this does not mean all is lost for the Peach State. Stacey Abrams received 567,991
votes in Fulton and DeKalb Counties alone, but because of the rural north Georgia vote, Governor Kemp
still won by 54,723 votes. The path to keeping Georgia in conservative hands runs through north
Georgia. We still have a say and our say carries weight. If we turn out to the polls this year, we will offset
metro-Atlanta just like we did in 2018. President Trump will need us all to vote if he is to win Georgia
and ultimately win the White House.

The local north Georgia GOPs are challenging you to vote and to encourage your friends to vote. Georgia
is under siege by leftists who want to change Georgia for the worse. We need your help to stop this. Call
10 friends and ask them if they have voted for President Trump yet. If they have not, give them
instructions about voting early. If they have voted, challenge them to call 10 friends to ask the same
question. If everyone in north Georgia does this, we will overcome the liberal Atlanta vote. We must all
do our part to “Keep America Great.” Get out and vote!

Reece Sanford
Chairman of The Gilmer Trump Campaign, a subcommittee of the Gilmer County Republican Party
Reece Sanford, CFA is the Chairman of The Gilmer Trump Campaign, Assistant Secretary –
Communications of the Gilmer County Republican Party, and a native of Ellijay, GA. He holds a BBA in
Finance from The University of Georgia and an MBA from Kennesaw State University. Mr. Sanford also
holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. He is a career community banker currently
working in small business lending. He has served on the boards of several non-profits throughout north

Georgia. He has served as Youth Engagement Director of the Gilmer County Republican Party, holds an
advisory role with a trade association Political Action Committee, and has consulted on multiple political
campaigns. He and his wife, Kerri Ann, enjoy spending their free time exploring north Georgia, running,
traveling, and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are strictly those of the author. They do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Republican Party, its members, any other organization the author may be
associated with, nor his family members.

Kemp Authorizes Call of Georgia National Guard for COVID-19 Response

News, Press Release
Kemp national guard

Atlanta, GA – Today Governor Brian P. Kemp issued Executive Order 03.14.20.02 authorizing Adjutant General Tom Carden – at the request of Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Homer Bryson – to call up as many as 2,000 Georgia National Guard troops to State Active Duty to address novel coronavirus and COVID-19 in Georgia.

“Through extensive emergency preparedness training, the brave men and women in the Georgia National Guard stand ready to serve above and beyond their traditional military duties. In states of emergency, they are equipped to take necessary action to protect the health and safety of Georgia families in every region,” said Governor Kemp“To assist with COVID-19 mitigation and critical services, including the transfer of Georgians currently at Dobbins Air Reserve Base to their homes, the Georgia National Guard will now be available to communities to ensure the steady supply of medical equipment, food, shelter, or related materials to keep Georgians safe in the weeks ahead.”

The Georgia National Guard is already assisting with the transfer of thirty-one Georgians – formerly passengers on the Grand Princess cruise ship – from Dobbins Air Reserve Base to their homes today for isolation and monitoring by Department of Public Health officials.

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