Is Gov. Deal Right to Refuse to Create State Health Exchange?

Georgia's Governor cites unknown costs, lack of flexibility in federal regulations.

Gov. Nathan Deal has told the Obama administration that Georgia will not set up its own health care exchange, citing the administration's "one-size fits all" approach and the high cost that the law places on states. “I remain committed to common sense health care solutions that empower consumers to take responsibility for their own health, motivate the private sector and drive efficiencies for consumers, employers and governments alike,” Deal said in a press release. “I continue to hope that we might finally engage in a serious conversation about restoring meaningful flexibility to states around health care programs.” Deal said the federal government needs to loosen regulations that restrict states’ options. He said he would support a "…

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Voters Sue Over 'Misleading' Charter School Ballot Language

The lawsuit alleges that the preamble and the question on the Nov. 6 ballot is biased in favor of approval of the measure.

A public school teacher and Atlanta minister have filed a lawsuit in Fulton Superior Court against members of the state of Georgia government over the language of the Nov. 6 ballot as it pertains to charter schools. The lawsuit, filed by Dalton teacher Beverly Hedges and Rev. Timothy McDonald, senior pastor at First Iconium Baptist Church in East Atlanta, names Gov. Nathan Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and Secretary of State Brian Kemp as co-defendants. The complaint alleges that Gov. Deal used language in the preamble to the ballot question and the ballot question itself that is misleading and that was not passed by the General Assembly. This is how the ballot language currently appears: Provides for improving student achievement and …

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EPA Waiver May Prevent Gas Shortage for Georgia

The federal agency temporarily relaxed environmental requirements for gas sold in the state to allow Gulf Coast refineries to resume normal production.

Remember those gas shortages after Hurricanes Ike and Gustav hit refineries in 2008? Did you wait in line to get gas at one of the few stations with gas? It appears that Hurricane Isaac won't have that affect, even though several fuel refineries were shut down by power outages and flooding. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Gov. Nathan Deal's request and temporarily waived environmental requirements for gas sold in Georgia to avoid a potential shortage.  The EPA granted the waiver through Sept. 15, which will give Gulf Coast fuel refineries time to resume normal production. Members of the Georgia Petroleum Council predicted shortages of the cleaner burning, low volatility gasoline would occur within a week without …

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Letters to the Editor

Public and Private Programs Can Help Students Improve Reading Skills

In this op-ed, the chairman of the board of Everybody Win! Atlanta applauds Gov. Deal for focusing on the importance of early intervention for building reading skills and a life-long love of reading.

By Mary Jo Peed In his recent State of the State address, Governor Nathan Deal announced his goal of increasing the percentage of children reading at grade level by the third grade. He detailed a plan to implement a statewide reading mentors program and will seek $1.6 million from next year’s budget, saying, “When we fail to invest in our youngest students, we are forced to spend money on remediation for the rest of their academic careers.” At Everybody Wins! Atlanta (www.everybodywinsatlanta.org), we applaud Gov. Deal for focusing on the importance of early intervention for building reading skills and a life-long love of reading. It’s what our volunteer mentors have been doing here in metro Atlanta for the past 14 years. Our organization …

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