Safe as Houses

Doug MacGinnitie recently announced his candidacy for Secretary of State, and he listed as his media contact a gentleman named Brandon Phillips.

If Phillips sounds familiar to anyone, it's because he's the poor lad who had his truck assaulted by some staffers for Bill Greene during the 2007 special election for the 10th Congressional District. Then again, Greene argued that Phillips tried to run over his staffers ... so who knows.

Having just listened to Sen. Robert Brown's response to Sen. Eric Johnson's hastily thrown together bill regarding state legislators who owe back taxes, I'm left with the same response that Flack had ... wow.

A lot of folks ought to know that I've never really considered myself a big fan of Brown. I don't think he's been rather effective in his capacity, and I think there's been a struggle for the Senate Democrats to find the right balance of opposition and pragmatism that exists among the House Democrats.

All of that said, I think Brown is right.

And I say he's 'right' because I'm viewing it from his perspective. This whole charade by Johnson is nothing more than pathetic political theatre aimed at shoring up his standing as a supposedly ethical legislator who just happens to be seeking the Lt. Governor's seat. This was designed to garner a press bump, nothing more. There is no evidence that Brown is included in the 19 state legislators under suspicion, but he was honest enough to acknowledge that he filed for an extension due to a personal illness and that something might be amiss in the details ... and that he'd figure them out.

But also, make no mistake about two things ...

1. This was a calculated attempt to take down Brown, not the actual 19 state legislators who are from both parties who are behind on their taxes. It's petty politics at its finest. Johnson wanted to make an example of the Democrats' leader in the State Senate, and if that meant putting on an elaborate act that wasted everyone's time, so be it. Johnson cares more about his political future than the actual business of the state, and every damn piece of pathetic legislation he's ever offered is testimony to that. The man's a snake oil salesman. He's a sham. He's weak, and this hissy-fit he's pitched is proof.

2. This is an even more calculated attempt to shift the narrative from the absolutely disasterous work done by the Republicans in Atlanta and their systematic shifting of the tax burden onto the backs of the middle class. This is designed to make you forget that they've pitched The Great Georgia Corporate Giveaway which would eliminate the corporate tax and make the public subsidize the new hires of big business in this state. This is designed to make you forget that they just approved The Georgia Power Ponzi Scheme that will force Georgians to subsidize the future profit of shareholders of Georgia Power, all the while exempting the biggest users of energy in the state from ever paying a dime for the project. This is designed to make you forget that they don't think you're mature enough to be able to determine for yourselves if your community should serve alcohol on Sunday, despite numerous polls showing overwhelming support for such a measure.

This is designed to make you look away from the trainwreck they've orchestrated the past few years.

Don't fall for it.

I'm very glad to see that this project is moving forward to the next stage, and I'm still very optimistic it will come to fruition in downtown Athens-Clarke County. It's the type of project that not only addresses a very real need in parking, but also has the potential to have a stabilizing force on a downtown that needs more than a handful of law offices and college bars. It's the type of project that, if marketed right, can attract the types of retail development that can provide much-needed - and much-requested - services to the downtown community.

Of course, in order to do that, it's going to be important for a lot of folks who bristle over the newest Starbucks opening in town to see the big picture. And the big picture is that downtown has long been in need of a grocery store to serve the campus, the downtown residents and the folks who live in the immediate surrounding area. The big picture is that something like The Fresh Market or Whole Foods or EarthFare would provide an immediate benefit to the downtown community ... just as the inclusion of an urban Target would as well.

Again, many folks are going to bristle at the notion of a big box vendor setting up shop downtown because, well, that's what they do. But if we litter this place only with a handful of restaurants and niche clothing boutiques then we've missed a great opportunity.

Sen. Ralph Hudgens's attempt to micromanage medical science got put on the backburner today as his bill aimed at limiting the number of embryos that can be implanted in a woman was sent to a subcommittee for further review.

Granted, I had many problems with the pathetically famous 'Octomom' but I didn't see the need for legislation to arise as a response to one particular case ... a case driven by poor judgement on behalf of the fertility clinic that treated her. Particularly seeing how the proposed legislation seemed to run contradictory to the recommendations coming from those in the medical profession.

Very recently, I was sitting at a meeting of a board of directors I had agreed to serve on. We were doing some long-range planning, policy discussion and general strategic visioning, and one of the members was suggesting we do something which I didn't feel was a wise move. I didn't feel it was a wise move for a variety of reasons, ranging from antedoctal evidence I had heard from other agencies, experiences I had from other organizations and research I had done on the topic. I attempted to make my argument on why I felt the way I did, and it was brushed off.

The fellow board member and I had a good-spirited conversation and, after roughly five minutes of debate, I ended it by saying 'I just think that idea is absolute insanity.' Granted, it wasn't the most artful statement to summarize my feelings on the matter, and I felt bad about saying it when it was all said and done. Still, I honestly felt - and I still feel - as if the proposal she was putting forth was insane.

Now, to be clear, this wasn't a reflection of my opinion of her. I think the particular board member serves on this organization because her heart is absolutely in the right place, and she brings a much-needed spirit and passion to the mission. Furthermore, she is a genuinely good person who would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.

We just had a disagreement, and I think she put forward a bad argument. My dispute, then, was with the position and not the person.

Read more: How I work

Um, if Clayton County can do this, why can't Athens-Clarke County?

Rounding up some things that went on during Mega-Storm 2009 ...

- For those interested, I had a nice birthday. Nothing fancy at all, and, in fact, The Wife and I took The Kid to a birthday party for the daughter of a friend of ours at Pump It Up. So I spent much of the day carrying my daughter to the top of the inflatable slide and coming down. Plus, those things are germ factories, and that's probably the reason I'm coping with this sinus mess right now. Still, thanks to all who sent birthday wishes.

- Rep. Tom Graves shills for The Great Georgia Corporate Giveaway and, in doing so, completely ignores mountains of historical evidence and statistical data that contrast his argument.

- I think this move makes perfect sense though, to be honest, I don't think it will actually deter folks from parking in certain spots all day long. It will, however, bring in additional revenue for the local government which is something that is sorely needed these days.

- Mega-Storm 2009 dumped seven inches of snow at my place, knocked our power our for 24 hours, knocked our cable/internet/phone out for three days and stranded my parents and both grandmothers at my house on Sunday night (they just thought it was a day trip). Still, despite some unpleasantries, The Kid loved the snow, and I hadn't made a snowman in a long, long time.

- It's good to see that the House of Representatives approved Rep. Vance Smith's statewide one-cent sales tax to fund transportation, but I fear nothing is going to come of it. The Senate is too obsessed with consolidating power over the Department of Transportation and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is desperate to preserve his image as he heads into what should be an interesting primary fight for governor. As a result, common sense ideas that will actually provide the needed support for the investments we so desperately need will get scuttled ... again.

Apologies all, but Mega-Storm 2009 thoroughly hindered any sort of activity at the McGinty Homestead. It's understandable that seven inches of snow and a lack of power and internet would do that (and, as I type this, I'm sitting at Jittery Joe's using their Wi-Fi so I can finally check up on some work emails and find out what's going on beyond my snow-covered (still!) yard.

When you turn 30, it's kind of a novelty. It means your 20s are behind you, and you've reached the pinnacle of a new decade.

Turning 31, as I do today, means you're officially in your 30s. And that just sounds kinda different.

A friend of mine forwarded me this article from The Washington Times, which is interesting to note and is something I'd typically miss since, well, I never read The Washington Times. It focuses on President Obama's proposed budget and its impact on charitable giving.

Obama has proposed lowering the amount of charitable giving that can be deducted for families earning more than $250,000 or individuals earning more than $200,000 in an attempt to save $179 billion. Arguably, the incentive of tax savings is a powerful tool in encouraging folks to financially support charitable institutions and, make no mistake, this will impact philanthropy in the short-term.

However, I don't see it being as big of an impediment as some might think for four primary reasons ...

A new class of wealthy philanthropists is  emerging.
Paul G. Schervish and John J. Havens penned a report for the Association for Research on Non-Profit Organizations and Voluntary Action back in 2006, and they identifed what they referred to as a 'new physics of philanthropy.' According to their findings, the emerging class of the wealthy is overwhelmingly younger in age and motivated not by personal financial incentive (which defines most Baby Boomer donors), but rather by a combination of capacity and moral purpose. They are more inclined to give to support the mission of the organization rather than the allocate money to earn what is, for them, a minimal amount of savings on their tax returns.

Most wealthy philanthropists make gifts based on relationships, not incentive.
The fundraising industry is driven by professionals who work to cultivate relationships with prospective donors, and those professionals are able to identify donors who buy into the mission of the organizations they serve. With effective targeting and solid relationship-building, those gifts will still be cultivated regardless of the change in tax law.

The bulk of individual giving comes from those earning less than $250,000 per year.
The Giving USA 2007 report found that 60 percent of all individual contributions were made by households earning less than $100,000 a year, while last year's findings showed they comprised roughly half of all individual contributions. Corresponding reports suggest that the downturn in the economy, which began in 2007, accounted for the decrease in the role of those earning less than $100,000, and that, upon the economy bouncing back in the coming years, they will again reach 60-plus percent. Furthermore, the rise of online giving is reducing costs for non-profits and encouraging smaller, more frequent donations from this targeted group, thus lessening the need to cultivate numerous large gifts at the expense of grassroots donors.

The proposed budget features increased support for the non-profit community.
Any decrease in charitable giving should be effectively offset by an increase in federal grants, including a large increase in funding for the Community Development Block Grant. Furthermore, the budget accounts for tax reductions ranging from $800 to $2,000 per year for 95 percent of the families in the U.S., which is additional money that can be contributed to the non-profit community.