Gwinnett County and its ‘culture of corruption’
We’ve heard the rumors and stories about Gwinnett County politics for years.
Apparently, so had the FBI.
Gwinnett County Commissioner Shirley Lasseter, 64 and a veteran of county politics, resigned her office and pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges that she took $36,500 in bribes from an undercover FBI agent posing as a developer.
A second former commissioner, Kevin Kenerly, is already facing trial on separate bribery charges. The former commission chair, Charles Bannister, had earlier resigned rather than face indictment on perjury charges related to a special grand-jury investigation.
And as the AJC reported yesterday:
“If the pleas were not enough to shake up the county government, federal prosecutors disclosed that more prosecutions involving land deals could be forthcoming. At Thursday’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Gilfillan said all three defendants are now talking to authorities and could receive reduced sentences based on the value of their cooperation in other investigations.”
If you want a real taste of how distorted Gwinnett County leadership has become — an incestuous, feuding mix of judges, politicians, consultants, lawyers, developers, law enforcement — go read this. It’s the text of a civil suit filed in federal court by Bannister against Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway charging false arrest, false imprisonment and retaliatory prosecution.
Here’s the short version:
In 2010, when Bannister was still serving as commission chair, Conway’s deputies arrested Bannister and charged him with drunken driving. What makes it all interesting is that:
A.) Bannister and Conway had been feuding politically;
B.) Typically, Conway’s department does not make DUI arrests;
C.) Although Conway’s deputies claimed that Bannister had failed a roadside sobriety test, once taken into custody the then-chairman blew a 0.00 on the breath test. Twice.
D.) Despite the 0.00 breath test, Conway’s deputies dragged a handcuffed and humiliated Bannister to the local hospital, where the blood test also reported a 0.00 blood alcohol level.
In the suit, Bannister alleges that Conway and his deputies “perpetrated the illegal arrest and detention of Bannister … in retaliation for Bannister’s persistent opposition to Conway’s political objectives.”
Bannister also claims in the suit that upon taking office in 2004, he was approached by Gwinnett County developer Wayne Mason, long influential in county politics. Mason allegedly “made it clear, explicitly, that if Bannister would use his position as commission chairman to Mason’s advantage, Bannister would be made wealthy. Bannister declined the overture.”
Bannister’s suit cites no evidence to support that particular claim. Overall, however, it paints a pretty sordid picture of what Gwinnett politics looks like to those on the inside. As Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said yesterday, “We have to be rid of this culture of corruption that exists in Gwinnett County.”
– Jay Bookman
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256 comments Add your comment
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 1st, 2012
10:23 am
These are the political clowns that must be dealt with.
too little time
June 1st, 2012
10:27 am
I can remember when Gwinnett County was the best run county in the state… even if it was a good-ol-boys network. It was small, efficient and effective at time when Dekalb/Fulton/Atlanta were bloated corrupt urban bureaucracies. I guess Gwinnett can officially join their “mature” counterparts.
saywhat?
June 1st, 2012
10:28 am
Georgia needs to send these people to congress, where they can hone their skils, then bring them back and run them for governor.
Brosephus™
June 1st, 2012
10:28 am
Atlanta!!!! APS!!!! Clayton County!!!! Chicago!!!! Obama!!!!
Just thought I’d play the role of the automaton for a minute.
Soothsayer
June 1st, 2012
10:30 am
Jay, are you trying to tell me a politician took a bribe? Say it ain’t so!
Mighty Righty
June 1st, 2012
10:31 am
US and European regulators are essentially forcing banks to buy up their own government’s debt—a move that could end up making the debt crisis even worse, a Citigroup analysis says.
Regulators are allowing banks to escape counting their country’s debt against capital requirements and loosening other rules to create a steady market for government bonds, the study says.
Obamanomics 101. Remeber Obama and all of you liberals blaming the “Banks” for our current economic problems by making poor investments? The Obamanazi regime forced new regulations on the “Banks” to stop thier incompetent and possibly illegal behavior. Remember? We are only talking about a few months ago in general and specificly as recent as 2 weks ago. Remeber?
Well the current Obamanomics is to “force” the banks into loaning the government by buying its treasury notes which reduces the capital needed by private investors needed to grow our economy. Of course, the economy is not growing, in fact it is shrinking when adjusted for inflation. After three plus years of Obamanomics we are headed back into the disaster he created. Back, back, back!
Brosephus™
June 1st, 2012
10:32 am
US and European regulators are essentially forcing banks to buy up their own government’s debt—a move that could end up making the debt crisis even worse, a Citigroup analysis says.
Don’t wanna talk about that Gwinnett corruption, huh? Whassamatta, not enough Democrats there for you?
Shawny
June 1st, 2012
10:35 am
Fire them all. At the ballot box. county, state, federal, all the way to the WH.
Soothsayer
June 1st, 2012
10:35 am
Take Gwinnett County and multiply it by every county in the United States, every city in the United States, every state in the United States, every state Representative in the United States, every state Senator in the United States, every Representative in the United States, every Senator in the United States and every President who’s ever been President of the United States and you’d have a fairly accurate estimation of American politics.
The Snark
June 1st, 2012
10:40 am
Why is it that we have to rely on the Feds to clean up local corruption in this state? Where is our Attorney General, our GBI, our local law enforcement and prosecutors?
godless heathen
June 1st, 2012
10:40 am
Fry ‘em! Too much of this goes on at the local level. Land deals with developers, hand shake deals with suppliers, corrupt cops, bribes. I hope the DOJ vigorously prosecutes.
josef
June 1st, 2012
10:42 am
So, the dust will settle and a new crop will take their places. It’s as American as mom, apple pie and the grand ole flag. Like the economic news downstairs, it ain’t as bad as it could be, but it’s still not the best..
http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/
OREP
If you check in, what is the correct past tense of the verb “to plead” as in court?
ty webb
June 1st, 2012
10:42 am
come on, you take away bribes, and what incentive does anyone have to serve?
Joe Hussein Mama
June 1st, 2012
10:42 am
Brosephus — “Don’t wanna talk about that Gwinnett corruption, huh? Whassamatta, not enough Democrats there for you?”
THAT oughta leave a mark.
Normal Free...Pro Human Rights Thug...And liking it!
June 1st, 2012
10:43 am
Brosephus™
June 1st, 2012
10:32 am
Common Sense isn't very Common
June 1st, 2012
10:43 am
Having lived in Gwinnett County for 15 years I have seen the county go from being fairly well run to a hell of a mess.
RB is well suited to live there
Recon 0311 2533
June 1st, 2012
10:45 am
Sounds like Cook county Illinois. Meanwhile Fauxahontas is finally forced to fess up but not before she lays claim to being the first nursing mother to take the bar exam.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/31/warren-defends-personal-history-tells-brown-family-is-off-limits/
Normal Free...Pro Human Rights Thug...And liking it!
June 1st, 2012
10:48 am
I wish we had a few Elizabeth Warren’s here in Georgia… I wonder what it is about her that makes republicans pee their pants. Not used to a strong, no BS type of woman, I guess…
willie lynch
June 1st, 2012
10:48 am
Brosephus™
June 1st, 2012
10:32 am
Exactly!!! Had this been about Fulton County government we’d be at 300 posts already.
Skip
June 1st, 2012
10:49 am
Why is it so hard to stay on topic?
Sean Smith
June 1st, 2012
10:49 am
And the Georgia Legislature still insists that there is no need for a cap on gifts…..
Maybe the penalties need to be much more harsh to discourage this kind of corruption. Say 10 years per count in the state pen housed with all the other hoodlums and scum. And not time at a club fed.
curious
June 1st, 2012
10:49 am
Free market was discussed in your previous post. This is a good example.
It isn’t free; it’s rigged and we’re the suckers.
Normal Free...Pro Human Rights Thug...And liking it!
June 1st, 2012
10:49 am
Anyway I do appreciate Fox News as a good source of vetting…anyone they are for, I’m naturally against.
josef
June 1st, 2012
10:50 am
Looks like the zayin in chief is here to do his Ching Chang routine…yay! Mudwrestling anyone?
Joe Hussein Mama
June 1st, 2012
10:50 am
Awful lot of poo-flinging primates up in this tree today.
JamVet
June 1st, 2012
10:51 am
Common Sense isn’t very Common, I agree.
There was a time when Norcross and the drive out to Lake Lanier was niiice. Now it is a Suwanee hell hole filled with sh*tty little McMansions and seedy little strip malls.
I go there as seldom as humanly possible.
It is, in fact the northeastern equivalent of those northwestern hell holes known as Cobb and Cherokee counties…
ty webb
June 1st, 2012
10:52 am
“I wish we had a few Elizabeth Warren’s here in Georgia”
they all left on “the trail of tears”…ALLEGEDLY.
They BOTH suck
June 1st, 2012
10:52 am
josef
Yes he is
JamVet
June 1st, 2012
10:52 am
josef, she terrifies them.
For numerous good reasons…
josef
June 1st, 2012
10:54 am
BROSEPHUS
Got that one downstairs? Hey, I’ve got some time off…
SKIP
I’m not being particularly snarky here, but what can you say? They’re scoundrels, thieves, crooks and a long list of other pejoratives, possibly even delusional lickspittles, but what are we going to do about it…?
Okay, they’re frauds and liars…forgot that…
Mighty Righty
June 1st, 2012
10:54 am
Brosephus
Frankly, I don’t give a damn about Gwinnett County. If they are crooks, lock em up. I would like to see the same attention by our “corrupt” Justice Department given to John Corzine, Fast and Furious documents, the Baltimore Thugs who tried to prevent voters from voting, and it would be nice if the Holder thugs would just enforce the immigration laws in Arizona. Just for starters.
josef
June 1st, 2012
10:56 am
TY
Alledgedly…yep. But hey, if you live in Buckhead or on St. Simon’s you can’t be a “real” Indian, doncha know?
Common Sense isn't very Common
June 1st, 2012
10:57 am
Think local – convict local
Brosephus™ - "Just can't get right"
June 1st, 2012
10:57 am
JHM & Normal
I’m stretching my mind to figure out what in the hell that has to do with Gwinnett County. My response was the only logical conclusion that I could think of. I’m more than certain that won’t be the only deflection on this thread. I will be highly surprised if there’s more than 5-10 reasonable conservative thinkers here that will be critical of the actions in Gwinnett without resorting to deflective attempts first.
JamVet
June 1st, 2012
10:57 am
Frankly, I don’t give a damn about Gwinnett County.
Code for, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican”.
They BOTH suck
June 1st, 2012
10:58 am
Jay
As Bro correctly noted @ 10:32, not enough Democrats in Gwinnett. This topic will not stay on course.
If you want to throw some chum in the water, write an article about City of Atlanta……….
It will be a feeding frenzy on this blog
Normal Free...Pro Human Rights Thug...And liking it!
June 1st, 2012
10:58 am
That Shirley Lasseter must have been bad in math. When she took that 36,500, she had to have known that if caught, she faced 10 years. 36500 divided by ten is not a good yearly income. To sell her reputation for so little doesn’t speak highly of her intelligence. Probably the same for the others too.
godless heathen
June 1st, 2012
10:58 am
Fauxahontas
Recon 0311 2533
June 1st, 2012
10:58 am
The Top Ten major issues in the minds of voters as tracked by Rasmussen show for the first time in over 5 years that voters trust Republicans more than they do Democrats on Economic issues by a healthy margin.
Issue Democrats Republicans
Economy 39% 50%
Health Care 43% 44%
Education 43% 39%
Energy Policy 43% 43%
Immigration 36% 48%
Social Security 42% 40%
Afghanistan 37% 42%
Govt. Ethics 37% 37%
Natl. Security 36% 50%
Taxes 38% 46%
But, but what about OBL
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:00 am
RE: Warren
Unmentionable says that if it was to make friends, she should’ve done the proper conservative thing and stripped nekkid and posed for a centerfold, of course covering up her shortcomings…
skipper
June 1st, 2012
11:01 am
If all of them take many more bribes, learn how to lie, cheat, and steal a little better, etc., they can catch up with APS and other Atlanta politicians……………however, even Lasseter was probably at her worst more competant than the APS school board……………………..
godless heathen
June 1st, 2012
11:01 am
Normal Not used to a strong, no BS type of woman, I guess…
You didn’t really say, “no BS” did you? BS is her specialty. Or maybe it’s Sitting BS.
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:02 am
Heathen
That’s neither original, nor particularly witty, the thinly veiled white man’s burden aside…
USMC
June 1st, 2012
11:03 am
“Gwinnett County and its ‘culture of corruption’”-Jay Bookman
Jay gets his jollies on attacking the suburbs; while dishonestly looking the other way with regard to the massive corruption that is the City of Atlanta.
It is obvious that Jay, like the other hacks at the AJC, doesn’t have the stones to tackle the massive corruption at the Atlanta Airport. Country bumpkins are an easier target.
Brosephus™ - "Just can't get right"
June 1st, 2012
11:03 am
Frankly, I don’t give a damn about Gwinnett County.
About time you said something honest here. It’s quite obvious that you don’t give a damn about Gwinnett from the way you never even mentioned the topic until you got called out on it. Hell, even ADHD kids are able to stay on topic for a while before they go off and do their own thing.
Based on your post, I guess it’s safe to say that GOP corruption does not exist and you’re only concerned with Democratic corruption. I have no problem with that, but your actions are simply becoming the status quo here in Georgia. You turn a blind eye to the proven corruption in front of you to go fighting alleged corruption far away. It must really suck to be delusional li… forgot, can’t use that term. It must really suck to be disconnected from reality. That should pass muster with the Imam.
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:03 am
Heathen
The correct Indian name is RUNNING BS…
Recon 0311 2533
June 1st, 2012
11:03 am
“Or maybe it’s Sitting BS.”
LOL
the cat
June 1st, 2012
11:04 am
Dang-I was hoping Jay would have more details of the shenanigans going on at Piedmont Driving Club. I live in Gwinnett county-there are plenty more where these came from.
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:05 am
BROSEPHUS
And some of us ADHD kids can hold a focus for a l-o-o-ng time and in the words of our esteemed al Shariff go “rambling on” about it!
ty webb
June 1st, 2012
11:05 am
Last of the Fauxhicans
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:06 am
the cat
What shennigans? Fill me in…
JamVet
June 1st, 2012
11:06 am
skipper, hysterically, you are the unwitting butt of a joke.
Go downstairs and read the post at 10:30. (hat tip Bro.)
Too damn funny…
Adam
June 1st, 2012
11:07 am
“Why aren’t you talking about ______”
Don't Forget
June 1st, 2012
11:07 am
the Baltimore Thugs who tried to prevent voters from voting,
ok by me, just make sure they investigate the Florida thugs who are doing the same thing now on a much larger scale.
Corruption WILL live in Georgia...
June 1st, 2012
11:08 am
….because “Ethics” is not a priority! You get what you vote for!! The next government official could be the person that you all elected as governor!
the cat
June 1st, 2012
11:09 am
josef-on ajc homepage, drunken and nekkid people all over the place!!!! I want names!!
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:10 am
ty
Maybe the Fauxhicans, but the real Hicans are here en force this a.m.
BOTH
Thanks for hanging around last p.m. Give Ole Crier is due credit, he didn’t swipe, turn tail and run. He stood his ground. No paper doll coward, he…
HDB
June 1st, 2012
11:10 am
Maybe they shoulda started looking at the COPS in Gwinnett first before they started looking at the Commissioners!!
Adam
June 1st, 2012
11:11 am
Also can’t help but notice TBone completely avoided this:
TBone: Our president despises the free market system and HIS policies reflect that disdain.
Which policies?
Anyone?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Common Sense isn't very Common
June 1st, 2012
11:12 am
JAY
Did someone make some changes to the website yesterday?????
This blog keeps jumping back to the top when I hit refresh.
Hard to scroll also.
HELP ME
ty webb
June 1st, 2012
11:12 am
josef,
I hear ya, and I pass the proverbial blog “peace pipe” over to you…just don’t bogart the thing.
JamVet
June 1st, 2012
11:15 am
Gwinnett cons are a symptom of the most corrupt state government of them all.
Yep, dead last.
Way to go, fake conservatives…
They BOTH suck
June 1st, 2012
11:16 am
josef
“Thanks for hanging around last p.m. Give Ole Crier is due credit, he didn’t swipe, turn tail and run. He stood his ground. No paper doll coward, he…”
True and we were not either
Doggone/GA
June 1st, 2012
11:16 am
“This blog keeps jumping back to the top when I hit refresh”
If you are using Internet Explorer…check at the top of the page for the little icon with the torn page in it. Try clicking that and see if that fixes it. Mine’s green and to the right of the URL address field
Brosephus™ - "Just can't get right"
June 1st, 2012
11:16 am
I’ll catch y’all later. I’m sure there will be much funnier deflection later on, but I haven’t been completely disappointed thus far. They have been pretty predictable thus far and quite bland, but they are probably still just warming up.
Catch y’all later.
Jay
June 1st, 2012
11:18 am
In the Bill Campbell corruption as in the APS scandal, USMC, the AJC uncovered the problem in the first place and wrote about it extensively, leading the way to later government investigations.
That’s a cold hard fact, whether it suits your bias or not.
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:18 am
CAT
Thanks…I needed that! I wanna know more about the fellow who can pick up a golf ball without using his hands…
Call It Like It Is
June 1st, 2012
11:20 am
Amazing, people just dying to turn this into a right/left thing. Northern counties are hell holes. Go look at Atlanta blah, blah, blah..and so forth. The lady took a bribe, she is going to jail, the system worked, bad guy gets it at the end. Nothing to see move on, move on.
That Black Guy
June 1st, 2012
11:20 am
Off Topic, sorry. From down stairs.
JamVet
June 1st, 2012
9:15 am
I guess they should let them all expire.
Damn straight.
Since the VAST majority of them went to the very people who need them least.
Flip that distribution percentage upside down and let’s talk again.
___________________________________________________________________________
HUH?
Bush tax cuts: $544.3 billion. The package would extend the Bush tax cuts for everyone for two years.
The bulk of that cost — $463 billion — is for the extension of cuts for families making less than $250,000, including two years of relief for 2010 and 2011 for the middle class from the Alternative Minimum Tax.
The rest — $81.5 billion — is attributable to the extension of cuts that apply to the highest income families.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/07/news/economy/tax_cut_deal_obama/index.htm
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:20 am
Common
Had the problem. Doesn’t do it on Chrome…
DOGGONE
Thanks!
Peter
June 1st, 2012
11:21 am
Gee isn’t Georgia last in the entire nation in ETHICS ?
Sadly I don’t think one party is to blame, even if you want to blame the GOP because of the governor, and the fact this is really a Republican state.
The entire culture of the state is @ss backwards, and really $$$$$$ is talking, as in what happens downtown under the dome.
The reality is the voters are suffering, but too dumb to make changes……and really that is why the education is terrible here, and those in charge really want to keep the masses dummied down !
And this is another issue we have……..Guys like Kyle the GOP guy who writes for the AJC believes is it OK, or a reasonable assumption that our elected officials should Lie to us…and all is GOOD !
ty webb
June 1st, 2012
11:22 am
well I never…jay tee’s one up for you guys to go after corrupt Republicans, and the best y’all can do is point to the fact that resident conservatives/republicans haven’t decried it enough…what does jay have to do to make y’all happy…Palin?…Iraq war?…Cheney?…Come on Jay, throw your boys/girls a better bone.
Adam
June 1st, 2012
11:23 am
Come on Jay, throw your boys/girls a better bone.
“Why aren’t you talking about ________?”
n
June 1st, 2012
11:24 am
The FBI should widen it’s scrutiny. A few highly placed prosecutions and we might have a functioning state government again instead of the kleptocracy.we’ve had for decades; especially the past 8-9 years during which the newly empowered Republicans wallowed in their “perks.”
Bruno
June 1st, 2012
11:25 am
The 1% is not party specific. I excoriated that creep Bill Clinton for signing the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in 1999. But did his neocon accomplices listen to reason? OF COURSE NOT! There was much too much money for their 1% buddies on the line!
JamVet–Please forgive me for singling you out this AM for telling only half the story. Unfortunately, it’s pandemic on this blog, and it starts squarely at the top with Jay’s daily half-truths. The other day, Jay came out with this gem:
“Joseph, it’s my opinion that the modern Republican Party, as currently constituted, poses a real threat to my country, to my children’s future prosperity and to basic rules of logic and reason.”
In order to back up his assertion, he blatantly misrepresented the S & P downgrade by saying: “Standard & Poors made it quite clear that the downgrade was driven not by our debt levels by the inability of Washington to discuss the problem with any sense of real responsibility.”
I read the report, and the Washington gridlock was cited as only ONE of the reasons for the downgrade, the primary reason being the unsustainable levels of debt being accumulated. And even if the gridlock were the primary reason for the downgrade, to blame it all on one political party is again both dishonest and malicious. The Democrats made it clear from Day One that inclusion and compromise weren’t part of their game plan as witnessed by the passage of the ACA with absolutely no input from the Repubs at all.
The bottom line is that we’re on the brink of financial disaster in this country if we can’t bring spending in line with revenues. It’s difficult for me to support Romney’s plan to further slash taxes, and even more difficult to get behind Obama’s plan to keep spending more and more in a bid to buy votes. But, as long as the two political parties are able to successfully divide we the people along political lines, then neither of them will ever be forced to take the necessary steps to restore fiscal sanity.
ty webb
June 1st, 2012
11:27 am
Adam,
your reading comprehension seems to be on the fritz…I’m fine with this topic.
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:28 am
ty
What topic?
godless heathen
June 1st, 2012
11:28 am
josef,
Ever noticed that when Pale Face’s claim some Indian heritage, it is _always_ a female ancestor, and never a “Brave” or “Chief”?
They BOTH suck
June 1st, 2012
11:29 am
“Day One that inclusion and compromise weren’t part of their game plan as witnessed by the passage of the ACA with absolutely no input from the Repubs at all”
Not meant to be a true statement……
Let google, yahoo and bing be your friend. There are several items in the ACA that come directly from Republican input
ty webb
June 1st, 2012
11:29 am
josef,
exactly.
curious
June 1st, 2012
11:32 am
Look. A puppy!
Peter
June 1st, 2012
11:32 am
Well the amount of taxes the rich are not paying is a head line today…. I guess the rich don’t pay all the taxes after all like the Republican bloggers state !
josef
June 1st, 2012
11:32 am
Heathen
There is a reason for that…in the Southeast the Indian identity was determined through the mother’s line. It is of interest to note that in the censuses conducted pre and post removal, the number of white women married to Cherokee men was almost 40% of the mixed marriages. Among the Choctaw and Chickasaw where the rate of intermarriage was much higher, there is little discrepancy in mixed marriages between men and women “Indians…”
But, yes, it has always intrigued me…and generally speaking she was a Princess!
They BOTH suck
June 1st, 2012
11:32 am
As for the S&P downgrade, I would say it was caused by a two party cluster fcvk
Grasshopper
June 1st, 2012
11:33 am
Jay had this post ready to roll out on the quick in case the job numbers went bust sending his his previous post south.
Which it did. So pay no attention to those job numbers folks. Let’s get on to another topic.
Crooked Republicans! Great chum for the Bookman shark pen.
Union
June 1st, 2012
11:34 am
Jay
June 1st, 2012
11:18 am
In the Bill Campbell corruption as in the APS scandal, USMC, the AJC uncovered the problem in the first place and wrote about it extensively, leading the way to later government investigations.
That’s a cold hard fact, whether it suits your bias or not.
that they did.. wonder if they will run a story on the airport scandal? btw.. been through the new international terminal.. still some issues..
JamVet
June 1st, 2012
11:35 am
TBG, $463M divvied up between how many tens of millions of taxpayers?
And $81 divvied up between how many thousands of taxpayers?
Over the past 30 years, middle-class wages have stagnated despite robust productivity growth, while the wealthiest sliver of the population has captured greater shares of income growth and national wealth.
Tax policy should be designed to promote economic fairness by pushing against the trend of ever-widening income inequality. Instead, the Bush-era (2001–08) tax changes actually increased inequality by delivering more than half of their benefits in 2010 to the top 10 percent of earners, who make over $170,000 a year. In fact, 38 percent of the dollar benefits went to the top 1 percent of earners (tax filers making over $645,000), who received tax breaks averaging over $100,000.
Working families, however, got the scraps. The bottom 60 percent of earners (making under $70,000 a year) received less than 20 percent of the benefits of these tax changes in 2010.
And the tax cuts for the wealthy never trickled down to middle-class families: Inflation-adjusted median weekly earnings fell by 2.3 percent during the economic expansion from 2001Q4 to 2007Q4. While real wages fell for most Americans, the top 1 percent of earners captured a whopping 65 percent of all income gains, leaving just 13 percent for the bottom 90 percent.
http://www.epi.org/publication/ten_years_later_the_bush_tax_cuts_remain_unfair_ineffective_and_expensive/
Welcome to the Plutocracy.
the cat
June 1st, 2012
11:35 am
Grasshopper-do I need to point out to you if the republicans had maintained their ethics there would not be a story?
Boris Badnoff
June 1st, 2012
11:35 am
Corrupt politicians! Heavens I’m shocked. Thank goodness this doesn’t happen in Fulton and Dekalb county. Everyone knows how fair and equitable it is to get a lemonade stand at the airport. It appears an honest politician is almost as rare as a sober, fair, and balanced journalist. Many moons ago a Fulton County Commissioner said that being a county commissioner did pay a whole lot but it was a job with enormous side benefits. What does that mean?
TiredOfIt
June 1st, 2012
11:36 am
Another republican county that’s about all you can say.,
Road Scholar
June 1st, 2012
11:38 am
Say it ain’t so…Repubs on the take!!! But we still don’t need no stinking regulations!
Road Scholar
June 1st, 2012
11:38 am
I’d call them the Gwinnett Mafia, but that would give the Mafia a bad name!
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
June 1st, 2012
11:41 am
Jay:
They’re all like this. Just some worse than others. Can anyone say the City of Atlanta or Dekalb County?
Here’s the BOTTOM LINE.
Why would most people want to get involved in county politics, be commissioners, sit on zoning boards, etc.?
$$$$$$$$ !
Most of them own land and want to steer $$$$ their way.
Unless you can find a way to change that you had best add about 50,000 agents to the FBI.
Peter
June 1st, 2012
11:42 am
What amazes me is Republican’s expect their politicians to lie to the public….. Kyle printed it yesterday on his GOP blog, and not a single GOP follower said anything about it !
That should give all the answer as to why politicians do it, and why this state is last in the nation in ETHICS !
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
June 1st, 2012
11:42 am
UNEMPLOYMENT GOES UP: RATE AT 8.2%
So what was that about not running again if he hadn’t fixed all this yet ?????
Mama Says
June 1st, 2012
11:42 am
Jay,
not really disagreeing with you but I would like to know why I have never read a blog by you on the level of corruption and incompetence in Clayton County. Given the fact you are concerned about this sort of thing, I thought you would have pointed out the 20 years of democrats that have ruined that county. Is it just the republican counties that get on your radar ?
and just for a factual base
a blood test is requested by officers to test the content of drugs and or alcohol in a suspected DUI offender. It is admiistered by a medical tech. who seals it prior to given the blood vial to the officer. It is impossible to say that the officers took the man to jail after taking him to the hospital where the blood test also reported a 0.00 blood alcohol level.
The blood is drawn at the hospital but sent to GBI for testing, the results would not have been known to the officers for two or three months after he was arrested. The GBI sends the results to the prosecutors office where a determination is then made as to wheather or not official charges will be filed.
In other words if you appear intoxicated you may be under the influence of drugs and not alcohol. Since you cannot smell drugs on a persons breath the cops will take you to the hospital and obtain a blood sample. If your blood is tested and has drugs in it then the state will formally charge you with DUI.
but i get your overall point—-Republicans are bad
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
June 1st, 2012
11:43 am
Well, I logged in here expecting Bookman to be all over the Piedmont Driving Club scandal. You know, the story about the golfer lining up a putt and getting whacked in the head by his buddy’s tallywacker and the guy that stripped buck-nekkid on the course and picked up a ball on the green with his cheeks—and I ain’t talking about the ones next to his mouth—and the woman worker suing the club after seeing all these antics.
But what do we get this a.m.? A story about county commissioners taking bribes. Next I expect to see a column reporting that water is wet and chickens lay eggs. So what else is new, Bookman? You know good and well these people don’t spend 100,000 bucks running for a office that pays 20,000 bucks just out of Patriotism.
Anyhow, I’ll be checking back in here when Bookman’s got some real news for us. In the meantime I’ve got alot of shelves to stock to get you
drunksfine folks ready to swap weird music tonight. Have a good Friday everybody and don’t go slapping your golf buddy upside the head with your tallywacker. You women on here can be excused from that charge.0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
June 1st, 2012
11:44 am
Hummmm……….. Secret War on Women ??
“(CNSNews.com) – The number of American women who are unemployed was 766,000 individuals greater in May 2012 than in January 2009, when President Barack Obama took office, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
godless heathen
June 1st, 2012
11:44 am
Road Scholar: Say it ain’t so…Repubs on the take!!! But we still don’t need no stinking regulations!
Big difference between a useful regulation, and a stupid one. Can you cite someone saying we need no regulations?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
June 1st, 2012
11:45 am
Six posts in on a thread about Gwinnett County, and it’s, “But…but…but…Obama!”
Almost a record.