Report from Today’s Georgia House of Representatives
by Bill Simon
Today’s press release from Georgia’s House of Representatives has news about some of the bills that are being studied in this year’s Session:
HB 713: A bill to designate February 6 as Ronald Reagan Day; Sponsored by Bobby Franklin
HB 18: A bill to require the use of seat belts in all trucks except those used for agricultural purposes; Sponsored by Calvin Hill.
HB 161: A bill to prohibit the use of one’s Social Security Number for a driver’s license unless permission is specifically granted by the licensee; Sponsored by Burke Day.
HB 950: A bill to prohibit government entities in Georgia from restricting or prohibiting a public employee or public school student from verbal expressions relating to the celebrations or observance of any public or legal holiday; Sponsored by Clay Cox (no relation to either Cathy Cox or Kathy Cox or Cox Communications…at least, none I’ve heard about).
Analysis: The first 3 bills listed above are good bills. The last one, offered by Clay Cox, demonstrates a Representative who 1) is unfamilar with the First Amendment to the United States, and 2) doesn’t understand how this “right” he seems to think everyone should have in this state can be so easily abused with the passage of this bill.
Cox’s motive, it would seem, is all those Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity news bits he saw last Christmas holiday season that claimed that it was wrong, nay, “anti-American” that some private enterprises had rules that employees had to say “Happy Holidays” as opposed to “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah” (though, I truly suspect Clay Cox doesn’t care one bit about how Jews celebrate…)
By specifically granting “public school students” or “publicly employed people” the right to utter anything they darned well please, as long as they can claim it is an expression of the observance of a legal or a public holiday, is to open the door to these possibilities…with this law specifically protecting the one who utters these:
A) “Merry F***ing Christmas!!!”
B) “Happy Eat-S***-And-Die Thanksgiving!”
C) “Happy New Year to You and Your Ho’es!”
Or, what happens if the student YELLS out “Merry Christmas” 20 times a day, as loud as he/she wants to? This law doesn’t say anything about disturbing the peace…it just guarantees that someone can say whatever they want to say as long as they claim it helps them celebrate the holiday. Great law.
Well, you get the point, right? I sure hope the people in our state legislature do and don’t let this bill out of the Rules Committee. This type of legislation will just demonstrate to the world WHY we are dead last in educating the K-12 kids.
January 25th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
It is clear you did not take the time to read HB950. Representative Cox and many others are cleary protecting our 1st amendment rights while not promoting, condoning, or allowing “disruptive” behavior. Bill, your rant is all opinion with no basis in fact. I congratulate Rep. Cox for standing up for the rights of all Georgia’s students and employees who choose to wish friends and classmates the holiday greeting of their choice.
January 25th, 2006 at 7:16 pm
And you’re telling me that children in K-12 and public employees in Georgia have been prohibited from doing so in their respective public buildings?
By whom? Got any evidence of this happening IN Georgia?
And, even if it did happen in Georgia, as a Republican, don’t you think there is a better way, a less costly way, to perhaps correct a situation like this OTHER than passing a law every time someone turns around?
It’s interesting that we used to scream about Dems passing frivolous laws (and, yes, this IS a frivolous law), but now that the GOP is in charge, it’s okay if we pass our brand of frivolous laws.
January 25th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
GA Example…
Jackson County Public Schools!
January 26th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
If that is the case, then that situation should call for the Southeastern Legal Foundation to file a constitutional lawsuit on the grounds of that prohibition being contrary to the right to free speech.
I just do not see the point of making laws when we have laws and precedent already in place to fight that type of discrimination.
January 28th, 2006 at 10:45 am
The GOP controlled state legislature is out of control seeking to expand the nanny state with frivolous legislation. State Senator Joseph Carter (R-Tifton) introduced the “Student Health & Fitness Act” to force local school systems to increase PE time. This same senator last year proposed the ludicrous measure creating a BMI (Body Mass Index) to be included on student report cards. Any chance a real Republican will stand up and say it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure their kids eat healthy, not big mommy government?? Doubtful.
State Senator Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) is back again with a bill to force divorcing couples to attend government approved marriage counseling and wait 4 months before settling the divorce. Unless of course one of the spouses beats the crap out of the other, then the divorce can proceed immediately. So Bubba need only to slap the crap out of SallieLou in order to avoid attending the BS counseling service…unintended consequences of over bearing big mommy government.
In a blatantly obvious vote buying scheme, Governor Perdue (R) wants to add an additional $1B+ to the state budget for a failed government program already sucking up over 55% of the state budget — Government education. Teachers who already average almost $47,000 annually for working nine months of the year will get a 7% pay raise and a $100 gift card for supplies. Meanwhile no accountability standards are being considered to make sure the teachers actually know how to teach. Georgia is essentially last in education spending over $10B annually…is it not conceivable that there is a better way vs. just throwing more money into the bottomless well?
On this I agree with you Bill, the GOP has failed to lead after assuming control. Instead they have succumbed to the allure of power focusing more on re-election efforts than actual policy making.
March 2nd, 2006 at 8:45 am
I agree with the previous post, this GOP legislature (especially the Senate) is the most intrusive group of politicians that have ever assembled under the gold dome. The issue with me is the hypocrisy. They sought the majority claiming that they would do no damage and their predecssors were the ones sticking their nose into everyone business with mandates and such. At least the Democrats did not lie about it, we knew where they stood. This group should be held up before the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising. In their mind everyone that questions their votes is an idiot and they certainly know better becasue of their life experiences. Give me a break. At this point I would prefer the devil I knew as opposed to the devil I thought I knew.