Mental Health Cuts Announced

The AJC is reporting that the state must cut mental health programing and furlough workers to remain fiscally solvent in the remainder of the fiscal year ending June 2010.

[Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities]" spokesman Thomas Wilson said the agency has determined it must cut about $15 million so as not to run out of money by the end of the state fiscal year in June."

...

"We ... have to find ways to cut expenses to match declining income," said agency Commissioner Dr. Frank Shelp. "What makes that especially difficult is that the obvious fat has been cut from the budget long ago. Now, wherever we scale back, people are going to be affected. "

...

"The agency will also continue what has been a 5 percent cut to the community service boards, which provide many community-based mental health services to people."
...
"Another program set for termination is a crisis stabilization program at a state mental hospital in Savannah. The participants move to a community-based operation for services. That move will allow the services to receive Medicaid money."
...
"Wilson said that despite the cuts, the state still expects to meet the benchmark of being in substantial compliance with the federal requirements for the hospitals by Jan. 15."

Not Keeping You Waiting Until the New Year

I feel tears wellin' up cold and deep inside.
Karen Handel has resigned her post as Secretary of State.
Below is the letter she sent out to County Election Officials yesterday.

Dear County Elections Colleagues:

After much thought, discussion, and prayer, I have decided to resign as Secretary of State by the end of the year, so that I can focus 100% of my effort and attention on my campaign for Governor. This was an extraordinarily difficult decision for me - both personally and professionally. However, I make this decision with great clarity and no regrets, knowing that it is the right decision for all concerned.

Serving as Secretary of State has been a truly extraordinary opportunity matched only by the opportunity to serve with you to ensure that Georgia's elections are conducted with the highest degree of efficiency, integrity and accuracy. Over the past three years, the administration of elections has improved significantly -- thanks to your commitment and willingness to embrace change, technology, and a higher level of accountability.

You accomplished what no one (even some of you yourselves!) thought was possible ... administering the 2008 Presidential Elections without significant issues. Yet you did it! Your confidence in yourselves and the competency with which you do your jobs have reached a new level.

I am so very proud of you and all that you have accomplished.

You are no doubt wondering what happens next. The Governor will appoint an interim Secretary of State. The next Secretary of State will take over knowing that there is a strong team of county elections officials ready for a continued partnership.

Finally, I want to personally thank each of you for your commitment to the people of Georgia -- and for your efforts on my behalf over these past three years. I know that the successes of this Agency have little to do with me and everything to do with you. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of your team!

Regards,

Karen

I know this thought is completely anathema to political ambition, so I'll only say it once. I've never understood how we support people who abdicate their responsibilities to chase after the next best thing. How much will be wasted (momentum, time, taxpayer dollars), changing horses midstream?
Thanks to our tipsters for forwarding this e-mail.

Unemployment Crisis across the U.S.

Last week we reported in the print edition that Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond had requested interest-free advances from the federal government ( read the press release here, it's titled "Concerning Georgia's Unemployment Crisis.") to enable the state to continue making payment on the 268,995 valid unemployment claims in the state.
Today the Washington Post is reporting the Georgia is not alone.

"Currently, 25 states have run out of unemployment money and have borrowed $24 billion from the federal government to cover the gaps. By 2011, according to Department of Labor estimates, 40 state funds will have been emptied by the jobless tsunami.
"There's immense pressure, and it's got to be faced," said Indiana state Rep. David Niezgodski (D), a sponsor of a bill that addressed the gaps in Indiana's unemployment program. "Our system was absolutely broke."

In the short term, the only way to fix it will be to cut benefits or raise taxes. In this community, that would be one more shoot, with no conceivable ladder.

"After Today, Let's Go Enjoy Christmas"

From our seat, One Capital Removed, that sounds like a good idea.
In what I'm reading on the three blogs listed below, David Ralston of Blue Ridge has won the Republican House Caucus' nomination for Speaker of the House.
The entire state House will have a vote on the matter when the General Assembly reconvenes January 11.
Ralston overcame the field of Bill Hembree and Larry O'Neal to win a majority on the second ballot. Hembree was knocked out on the first vote.
Other highlights from the caucus meeting included a teary-eyed speech from disgraced former Speaker Glenn Richardson who still has roughly $4,128.64 more Georgia taxpayer dollars in his future--and who knows how he'll land in the new year.
From AJC's Aaron Gould Shenin:

Richardson finished speaking, received a subdued, but full, standing ovation, and left the chamber. It was a moving speech, and Richardson several times stopped to gather his composure.
It was unclear from his remarks, however, whether he acknowledged responsibility for the position the caucus is now in.
Whatever “failures we may have made,” he said, “I take full responsibility for those failures. All of them. When you leave here today, you leave them behind, you leave them on my shoulders.”

And we'll conclude with Shenin's transcription of Ralston's brief acceptance speech:

“We’ve still got a long day here,” Ralston said from behind the speaker’s desk. “You made a country boy real happy and you honored me and I thank you very, very much for that. Secondly, I need your prayers. I wasn’t teasing when I said earlier we’ve got a big job ahead of us. I need Larry O’neal, I need Bill Hembree.

“After today, let’s go enjoy Christmas.”

For what it's worth

I just got off the phone with state Senator Johnny Grant and he said although he is familiar with all the candidates for Speaker, Larry O'Neal would be the best Speaker for Baldwin County as he is familiar with Milledgeville and, of course, is a Middle Georgia native.

GOP Caucus meeting Underway

All the usual suspects have live updates from the Capitol.
Lucid Idiocy
Peach Pundit
Gold Dome Live
If you have a PC, you can watch live from here.

Apologies

Sorry to readers I left hanging last week, a humbling illness helped second my decision to come down off the heady stream of information emanating from the Capitol over the last two weeks.
For those who didn't move over to the bevy of blogs and other media outlets covering the Speaker race, I'll tell you that today is the day the GOP House Caucus votes on their Speaker candidate.
Larry O'Neal, R-Bonaire Warner Robins is, by all accounts, still the front runner.
He let fly with some info about a questionable piece of tax legislation he authored that benefited Governor Sonny Perdue retroactively. In case you're not going to follow the link, O'Neal said the feds came down with the full force of an clandestine audit that cleared them both of any wrong doing.
Bill Hembree, R- Winston, and David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, who ran for this job at the beginning of the 2009 session, are the other Republicans vying for the Speaker's gavel.
Georgia Legislative Watch has the list of candidates vying for the other leadership positions up for grabs this morning. See how much lobbyists have spent on these candidates here, also from Ga Legislative Watch.
The caucus is reported to meet at 11, and Peach Pundit is alleged to be keeping on top of things with texted updates from legislators, staffers and media, throughout.