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Mission Statement of The Dawson County Democratic Party
 As members of the Democratic Party of Dawson County, we believe in the value of the individual and that government, while protecting life, liberty and property of individuals, must also be responsive to their collective needs and wills. To this end, we encourage full, timely, and equal opportunity for all segments of the population to participate in Party affairs. It is our aim to support and promote the election of candidates for local, state and national office who will serve with competence, common sense and compassion.
We, the members of the Democratic Party of Dawson County, do hereby declare our commitment to the development and growth of the Party:a Party open to all Dawson County Democrats. We welcome a diversity of individuals and groups in the belief that such diversity will strengthen our Party. We believe in the wisdom and efficacy of the will of the majority.
While pledging ourselves to the honest and open conduct of public affairs, we will, through the vehicles of periodic public meetings and the frequent use of various forms of media, encourage meaningful participation of all citizens within the framework of the United States Constitution and the laws of the State of Georgia.
Did You Know?
 Are you thinking what I am thinking as you read your newspapers and watch the evening news? Doesn’t it seem to you that Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush are turning into two of our most valuable assets as we make our preparations for the election in 2008? There are so many serious problems now confronting us as a nation that people are beginning to take notice of how poorly most of their elected representatives have served them. With every passing day I am becoming more optimistic about the revival of the Democratic Party, nationally, in the State of Georgia, and even in Dawson County. I believe we are presently on the cusp of a political sea change in the United States.
In the meantime, we have been busy here in Dawson County. Our State Party Member, Tom Foley, represented us at the Democratic Party of Georgia elections in January where Jane Kidd became our new State Chairman. Lumpkin County’s Chairman, Bob Barton, was elected as the Chairman of the Ninth Congressional District Committee. Jane and Bob are both off to a running start in providing leadership, organization and enthusiasm for Georgia Democrats. They are especially directing their efforts toward supporting and strengthening the county committees. Our fund-raising subcommittee Chairman, Tom Are, has helped our Committee develop a pledge system that is now in effect that will allow us to write a budget which will support our activities in Dawson County.
This is an exciting time for our Party in Dawson County as we continue to grow in both membership and organization. I hope that each of us can share in the satisfaction that will come as we work together and see the return of the Democratic Party to its former position of leadership in our county.
If You Like Living in Georgia…..
 …Thank A DEMOCRAT! 
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When you save thousands of dollars in day care expenses because your child attends Pre-Kindergarten here in Georgia?….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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When you make a tax-free purchase during one of the year’s Sales Tax Holidays in Georgia….THANK A DEMOCRAT! If your child receives a hot lunch at school even if you can’t afford it….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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If you live in rural Georgia and use electricity…. THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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Georgia’s state parks are among the best in the nation….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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If you are a senior citizen who receives a monthly Social Security check….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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When you go to sleep at night knowing your money in the bank is fully-insured ….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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As an American worker, you are guaranteed safe working conditions….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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If you’ve ever received Workers’ Comp….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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Are you or someone you love a recipient of Medicare?….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
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The U.S. ensures that the essential needs of all veterans are met….THANK A DEMOCRAT!
For more than a century, Georgia Democrats have led this state and nation with common sense, innovative ideas, and courage.
Thanks to all who have gone before us and left such a great legacy……
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……WE’RE NOT FINISHED YET!
By Jane Kidd (Chair, Democratic Party of Georgia)
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/08/08
Link to Original
Just a few short months ago, in the weeks leading up to the 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly, Republican leaders took to the skies to promise Georgians a smooth legislative session, and unity that focused on the real problems facing Georgia —- crippling property taxes, gridlock on metro highways and an overburdened trauma care system teetering on the brink of failure.
After four months of political posturing and harsh words, Georgia is no better off than we were on the day that Gov. Sonny Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson took to the skies to sell Georgia a bill of legislative goods. The Republican leadership has no one to blame but themselves.
Even before last year's session was gaveled to a close, Richardson was determined to make tax reform the signature issue of this year's session, introducing a "GREAT Plan" that turned out to be anything but.
After going through too many iterations to count, including versions that would have crippled local governments and created 175 new taxes, the speaker was unable to deliver on his promise to Georgia. His failure was not completely a failure of policy; it was also a failure of politics, as he and Cagle consistently put their own political fights ahead of sound policy. This, unfortunately, is the theme that runs through much of the 2008 session of the General Assembly, where taunting and name-calling took the place of serious debate and compromise.
In the battle to see who could craft a better bumper sticker tax plan, both Richardson and Cagle lost sight of the real problem —- $1.5 billion in cuts to public education put forth by the Perdue administration and rubber-stamped by Republican majorities in the House and Senate since 2003. The solution to lowering our property taxes is simple —- the state should stop reneging on its share of public education funding, and local governments would not have to continue to raise property taxes to make up the shortfall. The best tax cut would have simply been to undo the Republican tax shift, but both Cagle and Richardson were too busy playing out their rivalry in the media to study the issue with the thoroughness it deserves.
In the critical area of transportation, we again saw how the Republicans put their own intra-party battles ahead of the needs of Georgia. Every day, countless Georgians spend hours stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Our traffic problems not only hurt the productivity of our work force, they hurt our families by keeping parents away from home and family. But when given an option between two plans that would have begun resolving metro Atlanta's gridlock, the Republicans fought and dithered until the very end, finally allowing the session to end without doing anything to alleviate Atlanta's traffic problems. It was a failure of leadership that every metro-area resident should remember, not only when you're stuck in traffic every morning and afternoon, but also this November when you vote. If you want to stay stuck in traffic, thank Richardson and Cagle for their inaction. If you want to get home in time to see your family, vote for a Democrat.
Another failure of leadership in the General Assembly came on revitalizing the state's ailing trauma care network. When faced with numerous options to fund our doctors, nurses and emergency rooms, Cagle and Richardson again chose the path of least resistance —- doing nothing at all. Despite numerous attempts to reach a compromise, trauma care was simply another victim of the intra-party fighting that characterizes the Republican leadership. As a result, hospitals all over the state are going to have to make some very tough choices about the level of care and services they can provide, and our families are less safe. Those are the stakes, yet the lieutenant governor and the speaker chose to ignore them and concentrate on one-upping each other instead.
The 2008 elections are going to be transformative for Georgia. Over the coming months, Democrats all over Georgia will be working hard to meet the voters and make our case that, while the Republicans are ready to fight, we are ready to lead Georgia into a better and more prosperous future. I hope that you will look closely at your options —- a party that fights its own internal power struggles, versus a party that offers mature, tested leadership based on the values that Georgia holds dear: fiscal responsibility, world-class schools and an economy that works for working people.
In the end, it's all about priorities. The Republicans have shown that Georgia's priorities take a back seat to their own agenda, and the lack of results shows clearly.
Come November, recall the gridlock |
