Richardson tells lawmakers they may be back for special session
House Speaker Glenn Richardson told lawmakers debating an $18.6 billion budget for the upcoming year that the continuing recession may force them to come back to deal with declining revenue.
“People aren’t making any money, and they aren’t paying any taxes, and they don’t have any money to pay taxes,” said Richardson (R-Hiram).
“It’s getting worse every day. The cuts you see today are the tip of the iceberg of what we’re going to have to do,” the speaker said of the new budget, which uses $1.4 billion in federal stimulus money to fill holes.
“I’m afraid this won’t be our last visit to this building this year,” he said. “I am afraid we’re coming apart at the seams.”
Richardson railed at President Obama and Congress for its spending habits, saying federal officials were wasting money on tatoo removal programs and AIG bonuses while the General Assembly is having to slash spending for schools and health care programs.
Richardson said he expects lawmakers to have to return in six months to cut services further. He said that could include closing colleges and parks. “We’re going to have to do something different,” he said.
Richardson took the floor at the end of the budget debate after House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) complained that the spending plan would lead to the largest property tax increase in history.
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18 comments Add your comment
Lynn
March 19th, 2009
3:35 pm
I am tired of the Republican party using the stimulus bill as a way of bashing Obama. Obama is mopping up the mess left by the lack of responsibilty in spending from the last 8 years and before that Reagan and Elder Bush. Enough is enough. AIG was paid before he became President and now due the Legislative branch has fixed it again. Republicans don’t have a leg to stand on the real truth is all of the illegal and fruadulent practices of the past are coming to light. Stop complaining and get on board with what needs to be done now. Also, if a resolution can be written in order to honor a President who sat and waited for 5 days before helping Katrina Victims. Then a young, intelligent, Harvard Grad who won over 53% of the votes in a America deserves any honor given. Get over yourselves. I know your still upset by the fact that an African American beat the racist odds of Georgia and all southern states except Virginia and North Carolina to run the Best country in the world.
The Snark
March 19th, 2009
3:48 pm
Tip of the iceberg? Coming apart at the seams? So much for projecting calm in a time of crisis, Mr. Speaker. You sure don’t look like governor material to me.
Independent thinker
March 19th, 2009
4:09 pm
It’s called political posturing…doesn’t necessarily mean a whole heck of a lot. And Lynn…there’s enough blame to go around..check out the Democratically controlled congress. By the way, Obama got ZERO electoral votes from GA.
Really?
March 19th, 2009
4:15 pm
Miss Lynn-
Oh, to be so wrong must be vexing! Do you know who Christopher Dodd is? HE DEMANDED that the AIG bonuses be put in the bill. Look him up – he isn’t a Republican, my dear. Do a little study of history before you just complain about Reagan, Bush 41 and 43 – your little darling Clinton was quite bad about SEC regulation, Wall Street hijinxs, etc. Grow up and realize that it isn’t just one party’s fault.
By the way, I am an Independent. Stop playing race and party lines and realize that we all got ourselves into this and we are all going to have to work together to get out. I couldn’t care less if Mr. Obama was a Smurf, capitalism works and Bush 43 and Obama screwed up by messing with the system – let things fail- it is amazing what rises from the ashes…….
Really?
March 19th, 2009
4:19 pm
Oh, and Miss Lynn – Mr. Clinton was in office for 8 years between Bush 41 and 43 – why you are going back to Reagan (rest his soul) is befuddling. Apparently he gets a pass because……?
History is a pain, isn’t it? Ruins all the fake arguments….
David S
March 19th, 2009
4:24 pm
The Federal Reserve is the root cause of it all. Wilson, 1913. Deficit spending, inflation, money manipulation, economic crises and bubbles have followed ever since. The Fed must go. Petty bickering about this party is to blame or that party is to blame gets us nowhere. A federal government bound by the constraints of a sound monetary system can cause few problems. Face it, both parties are to blame. There have only been Republicans and Democrats in charge for the past 100+ years. THEY ARE BOTH TO BLAME!
As for the state economy, it is high time the state cut back the way the people are having to. Every dollar the state has came through theft from hard working memeber of the private sector. Every dollar paid to a government employee was taken from somebody else without their free choice in the matter. The immorality of that process alone demands that as the private sector suffers as a result of the actions of the government sector and their monetary policies, the government sector must suffer too. Government operates with the consent of the governed.
ed
March 19th, 2009
4:39 pm
Richardson is a fruit cake,desperate for publicity cause he thinks he’s gubernatorial material. HaHa
twrayc
March 19th, 2009
4:59 pm
Miss Lynn, I think you need to check your history. This mess started when Mr. Carter and Mr. Clinton decided that every “poor and underprivileged” person ion the country deserved a $500,000 house even if they couldn’t make the payments.
Anne
March 19th, 2009
5:35 pm
I voted for the Republicans under the Gold Dome. Never again all they have done was try to rob the poor state retirees of their health insurance. They want 5% to the trust fund to invest in high risk investments. They are done in my book, send Perdue packing and all his buddies with him. It will be a cold day in hell before I vote for any of them again.
Donna G
March 19th, 2009
5:40 pm
Oh to be so young and foolish. You forget, our President was part of the problems, He was a Senator. He had a vote. This did not fall into his hand when he became President, he was there. He should have known.
FED UP
March 19th, 2009
5:41 pm
Mr. Speaker how come the people at the capitol and the lawmaker is not furloughing? Why only certain agencies being hit hard? If we are in big crises why are we still paying the lawmaker to work for a 5 day work week and they only work 3 days. If we’re such a crises why isn’t the whole state furloughing? These are the question I would like answer. I think the lawmaker is trying to come back in order to fill they pocket, while other is losing money twice of month out of their paycheck. Our special senator and legislators that we vote in doesn’t care about the state worker, so when you vote again you shouldn’t care about them.
Jim Z
March 19th, 2009
5:49 pm
Well I hate to say this but the economy and the recession can be traced back to the last Democrat who served as President. Yes, that is right William Jefferson Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which opened the doors to companies to high cheaper labor in foreign countries. He is to blame for the outsourcing of America and the dire crisis that we face today.
Winfield J. Abbe
March 19th, 2009
6:41 pm
The General Assembly should cut the outrageous, unjustified and improper new medical school for the already bloated UGA in Athens. Leave al this in Augusta or move it to a school in middle or South Georgia. Athens is too crowed now. It has too much government funding now.
There is not a shred of proof any of these new doctors would remain here anyway. UGA has sought to fool people on the failed war on cancer and the corrupt health institutes of the U.S. as documented in http://www.hydrazinesulfate.org by Joseph Gold, M.D., and “American Cancer Society America’s Wealthiest ‘Non-Profit’ Institution” by Samuel S. Epstein, M.D., http://www.preventcancer.com. How about doing something to lower health costs, like regulating hospitals like the secret Athens Regional Medical Center, Inc. where its CEO makes about $ 1 million per year? They never have any shortage of money do they? Force them to publish all their negligence claims and their budget for all to see. Secrecy is the enemy of the truth. Funny, isn’ t it how our institutions operate in secret patterened after Germany and the Soviet Union so many of our brave ancestors fought so hard to rid the world of?
Really?
March 19th, 2009
6:46 pm
Jim Z – you are a patriot as well as a gentleman. I was going to bring up NAFTA too, however, I feared that all the “gimmies” were going to have a heart attack.
Capitalism works. Let’s get back to it. Taxing anyone at 100% for something that they were contractually awarded – well, that is just BS. AIG sucks, don’t get me wrong, but why not strike at the root? Where is the root? The folks that passed that mess, y’all.
Heaven forbid if Congress passed a 100% tax on a UNION (GM, FORD, etc) who are making freaking crazy bank for producing garbage? Where is the outrage there?
MinorityGirl2009
March 19th, 2009
8:23 pm
“I know your still upset by the fact that an African American beat the racist odds. . .” -Lynn
I am so sick of hearing that. I didn’t vote for McCain because I’m racist, I voted for him because I’m a Republican. There IS a difference. Debate politics based on politics, don’t slander the new minority party (yes, that would be Republicans) as racist, ignorant, hatemongerers.
JAYB
March 19th, 2009
8:49 pm
Actually Lynn….it isn’t the REPUBLICAN party bashing Obama! In fact, an African American Democrat took the well just the other day on the House Floor to discuss his opposition to one of Obama’s proposals and explained how disappointed he was so far…. I am in no way racist and wish our president the best but don’t play this out to be a problem by only republicans. The fact is Obama preached that he was against “earmarks” while he was trying to get elected and ever since his administration has been spending like crazy while state officials are forced to cut actual important funding. He has spent incredicle sums of money on things like research for pig odor and re-sodding the National Mall. Maybe these things are important but not when the State is being forced to cut healthcare, education, and other programs to the point of shortening the school-year for children and forcing teachers to take days off without pay. Same goes for AIG people….they shouldn’t get a ridiculous bonus when everyone else is scrounging for money. I am sooo tired of this whole racist “double-standard” by the way! The House Resolution that was put on hold not because the Black Caucus wanted to induct him as an honorary member but because it contained language suggesting the entire House wanted to congratulate him on the wonderful job he was doing….(by the way, why is it we are allowed to have a black caucus? if there were a white caucus, we would be racist and all hell would break loose…such a double-standard). That was the problem….come on people, Barak Obama is not Jesus….why praise him for the wonderful job he is doing if it isn’t that wonderful! He has only been in office for two months and many people praise him like he has saved America….he has been spending like crazy along with Congress (that would be hurting us people). SO the Resolution was turned down not because of White Republicans are mad that an African American is in office but because they disagreed with the language…and frankly…I do too! By the way, hate to burst your bubble but Obama is half white….yes…why do we continually refer to him as African American when that is not his only ethnicity. Again, I am in no way racist, but I have to let you know what it looks like to the other side…somewhat ridiculous! And by the way, Bush was honored after he had already proved he was worthy of award…not two months after he was elected just so people could throw Obama’s name out there….Oh brother…this whole thing is just ridiculous.
JAYB
March 19th, 2009
9:11 pm
Lynn, you are absolutely ridiculous and should be ashamed at your comments….I am not racist but someone sure does seem like it. This is not the fault of one party….Democrats control Congress by the way! And finally an award should be something that is earned: not awarded simply to join a black caucus because he is young, intelligent, and went to Harvard….heck there are plenty of people like that…(And Black Caucus? If there were a White Caucus, all hell would break loose….such a double-standard) How can a president who has spent like crazy, although he preached against earmarks, be honored & praised after only 2 months in office…He is not Jesus, although it would be hard to tell from some! I have seen No Change! But I thought it was time? The only thing I have heard that has changed is the carpet and furniture in the White House…
Michael
March 19th, 2009
9:18 pm
Lynn – Go back under the rock the crawled out from.