The size of Nathan Deal's personal debt stunned many people; otherwise, there was little new.
Some have admitted confusion on one aspect. That indebtedness is two performing loans to a profitable partnership with no delinquencies. The partners merely guaranteed them. He failed to include them on his state disclosure form but obviously wasn't trying to hide anything, as Roy Barnes is charging, since he had included them on his congressional disclosure. It was an administrative slip-up he immediately corrected.
Deal's response was pure Nathan Deal. Personal bankruptcy is NOT an option. The only uncovered debt is loans he co-signed to help his children. He will pay them off by selling his home and some commercial property.
A friend whose initials are J.A. told me in the post office "A man who wouldn't help his children is a sorry man. Anyone who would criticize a man for helping his children is even more lowdown." I agree.
His attorneys, they'd know, say Deal isn't under grand jury investigation as Barnes keeps alleging. Deal did not stop a congressional investigation by resigning from Congress at midnight. After announcing last fall he would leave Congress to run for governor, he had, at his party's request, agreed to stay in Congress until the Obamacare vote just in case his vote might have been the one to defeat it. He prepared a letter of resignation before the vote.
After the vote result was announced, he immediately submitted it to become effective at midnight. Had it been defeated, that prevented attempts to toss out his vote by claiming he had resigned from Congress that day and thus was ineligible to vote.
Many people have told me that anyone who would keep making broad charges against a man for helping his children lacks the character to inspire confidence in ability to govern. Agree. To a person, they believe Barnes' tactic will backfire, but also believe he'll not only keep the attacks up but accelerate them.
This view: If all a candidate has to campaign on is charges of unproven corruption against his opponent, it suggests he lacks much of anything else, such as what he'd try to do and how he'd pay for it. We've heard precious little of that.
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Observation: The GOP philosophy is far closer to the Libertarian view than the Democrat. Many Republicans hoping the more thinking Libertarians will realize they have absolutely no chance of winning the state house and pragmatically will split their votes, GOP for governor and their own slate of candidates for the other offices. A runoff means all bets are off.
November voter turnout isn't expected to be as large as in presidential election years, but it IS expected to be larger than usual for off-year elections. You can avoid the long (sometimes an hour or more) lines at your voter precinct and vote more at your convenience by early voting at the elections office out Brown's Bridge Road. Democrat or Republican, do it and take others with you, especially handicapped and homebound.
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The pancake breakfast was a huge financial success with many new faces and the regular ones. Proceeds go to fund the Kiwanis Club's myriad of youth service projects. Thanks all who helped and ate.
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The Obamacare law that permits children no older than 26 to be covered on their parents' policies is now in effect, insurers can't refuse policies because of pre-existing conditions, etc. Despite now, after the vote, the administration revealed it knew it would cost more, it is nonetheless angry that insurers are raising premiums to cover costs of obvious added risks and threatening reprisals.
Did anyone consider or understand the economic fact that insurance companies (no company, in fact) can survive without sufficient income to cover operating costs? Duuuhhhhhh!
Ted Oglesby is retired associate and opinion editor of The Times. You can contact him at P.O. Box 663, Gainesville, GA 30503. His column appears biweekly on Tuesdays and on gainesvilletimes.com.