Government Must Live Within Its Means, 3/21/2010

While we await the vote in Congress on Health Care, there are many critical issues here in Gwinnett. These include budget deficits, high unemployment, and a failing economy.

Underlying these issues is the fact that everyone is suffering economically. Many have lost their jobs while others have seen their life savings evaporate. We are in trouble on all levels of government. At the federal level, they are spending money we do not have, getting deeper and deeper in debt to foreign countries. The State of Georgia has an ever increasing budget deficit that only deep, deep cuts will address. Here in Gwinnett, we have seen lower and lower revenues coming from ever decreasing property values.

The Gwinnett County Commission chose to increase the millage rate to offset these falling values. The tax payer has no ability to increase their income by artificial adjustments. WE must simply bear the burden.
It is time that government does the same thing we are doing at home and in our businesses: DO WITHOUT. The leaders must decide what is critical to the citizens of this county and cut out those things that are not. Priorities are already established by monitoring the usage of each service or facility the county provides.

The county must stop duplicating services with the cities. Rather than filing a lawsuit and fighting over who gets more than their share of service funding, the county should forward to the cities their funds to provide the critical services they see fit inside their city limits.

Lastly, WE MUST bring jobs to our county. The county must think "outside of the box" to provide incentives beyond any other city, county, or state. This will attract the businesses that are starting, relocating, or downsizing, and bring them to Gwinnett. These new businesses will fill the county revenue needs; fill the empty offices, retail locations, and factories. Then, Gwinnett will once again be able to honestly say "Gwinnett is Great".

John Heard