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Pay 25% more tax? I don't think so Honey!
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It doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat or Republican today in Gwinnett County, we’re all fighting against the same thing. Gwinnett County officials have proposed a property tax formula that will represent a 25% increase for homeowners, and boy are we “ticked-off.” They say it’s because the county’s growth has slowed, and the need for services has increased. (Personally, I think it’s because our home values have plunged, and many of us fought to lower our property tax assessments). At any rate, Gwinnett County is obviously in need of money, and they want homeowners to fork it over. Well, we're all in the hole these days Fellas, and we're not paying for anything else!
Call me crazy, but weren’t the citizens of the Great State of Georgia, just declined the opportunity to vote for beer, wine and liquor sales on Sunday in Georgia just a few months ago? Yep, I believe we were. And this is something that was estimated to bring an additional $5 million a year to our state. It was going to give a little boost to our economy, help fill in some of the budget deficit the state is facing, and ultimately make 2/3 of Georgian’s happy. That’s right, 2/3 of the polled Georgia residents said they are in favor of Sunday sales in the state. And, there is an AJC poll that shows 93% in favor of it, and only 6% against. Georgia is only one of 3 states left with this Sunday ban in place. Even Utah, with its super-conservative, mostly Mormon population allows Sunday alcohol sales. They realize that giving up that much tax revenue would be crazy.
This is a fight that is primarily bi-partisan as well. The Georgia Young Democrats and the Georgia Young Republicans have been working together to get this passed. The loudest opposition to Sunday sales comes from the Christian Coalition because they believe it is an attack on the Christian Sabbath. And our current non-drinking Governor, Sonny Perdue, is against it as well. I don’t understand how this argument is still being validated by our State Representatives. Most Georgia counties allow alcohol sales by the glass in restaurants on Sunday, so what is the difference? If it’s the drinking and driving issue (as some claim it is), aren’t people more likely to stay home and drink if they buy their alcohol at the grocery store rather than a restaurant….yes! Isn't that obvious? You drink at a restaurant and then leave in your car, you're drinking and driving. You buy a six-pack at the grocery store, come home and cut your grass, now you're hot as the devil (because it is Georgia after all), pop open a beer and sit down in front of the TV to enjoy it...you're not driving at all.
Now, I realize that all of the money needed by Gwinnett County wouldn’t come from the tax dollars produced by Sunday alcohol sales; nor would the projected $5 million, make much of a dent in the $2 billion our State needs in the budget. But, wouldn’t it be a nice start? Call me crazy, but when our state is only one of three, left not doing something that the entire rest of the country is doing, we might be missing something.
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