You could say this blog has been a long time coming. In many ways it has taken me a long time to sit down and put my thoughts to data. Part of that can be attributed to the many other things I am involved with, part can be attributed to law school, part can be attributed to a hesitancy to embrace a candidate at this stage in the game.

While it can be said that I have been silent over the past few weeks, I have been reading. I have been watching. I’m nowhere near omnipresent – which I understand is about forty minutes from Rhine – but I have been reading what is readily available to me.

Late last year I was encouraged by a classmate to look into the Scott campaign. I did so. At some point I a-fixed a Scott For Georgia sticker to my bumper. Prior to last fall I thought Nathan Deal would sew the election up handily – but things change and I was wrong. I will refrain from, for now, tearing down any candidate. A few weeks ago I had the chance to meet Rep. Scott for the first time, and while I had already had a favorable opinion of him I could not help but be impressed.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Scott has something none of the other gubernatorial candidates have: he get’s it. That statement is purposely ambiguous and vague. What is it?

In this case “it” is the ability to connect with Georgians and understand their plight. Austin understands Georgia and Georgians. I defy anyone to listen to him in a debate and retort otherwise. His solutions are based not on some far-fetched mathematical equation to reduce deficits, but are common sense based cuts.

What really sealed the deal for me was Rep. Scott’s recent proposed legislation to end the toll road in Georgia. There is simply no reason for a Toll Road Authority that watches over a single toll road in this great state. Like most things – the toll road has just provided another avenue for government to expand and to be less transparent.

Scott understands this problem as well;

“I’m running for Governor, but I’m trying to decentralize the power that has collected in that office and put it back into a structure that has oversight and is transparent, outside of the Governor’s direct control. It’s the right thing to do.”

As much as some of the other candidates have harped about how they are the answer to King Roy Barnes – here is a candidate not saying he is the answer to Barnes, but the absolute polar opposite. Our current Governor is trying to increase the power of his position by appointing various Commissioners we presently elect. Now is not the time to expand our State government. Now is the time to reduce and improve.

I think I found a candidate that get’s that. And I’m glad he’s running.

Related posts:

1. The Talmadge School of Ethics in Government
2. Georgia, First
3. The Budget is not for the Birds . .

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