Trauma network supporters tout backing from Nathan Deal, Roy Barnes
Supporters of Amendment 2, which would levy a $10 car tag fee to finance an $18 million-a-year statewide trauma network, say they have internal polling that now shows a majority of Georgia voters in favor of the measure on Tuesday’s ballot.
Jane Langley, spokeswoman for Yes 2 Save Lives, said polling of 500 registered voters statewide produced the following results:
– Yes, 52 percent — up from 48 percent last week;
– No, 37 percent – down from 45 percent last week;
The survey was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies. MOE is +/- 4 percentage points.
Yes 2 Save Lives, financed by the states business and medical communities, has blanketed the state with some powerful 30-second TV spots.
But it hopes to seal the deal with a 60-second radio ad that touts support from two candidates for governor: Democrat Roy Barnes and Republican Nathan Deal.
Here’s the script:
Female narrator: You don’t find candidates agreeing on much these days.
Male narrator: But we have a Republican, Nathan Deal, and a Democrat, Roy Barnes, both saying vote yes on Amendment 2.
Female narrator: They both agree. Yes on 2 saves lives.
Male narrator: But this is not a matter of politics. It’s a matter of life and death. You see, Georgia loses nearly a thousand lives a year just because we don’t have enough trauma centers. Roy Barnes learned that first hand when his daughter and granddaughters were in a car accident a few weeks ago. He knows it could happen to anyone.
Female narrator: And Nathan Deal also says yes on 2.
Male narrator: Trauma care funds will be safe from politicians. The money is locked away, protected by our constitution.
Female narrator: Barnes, Deal and Georgians agree. Yes on 2 saves lives.
Male narrator: And the money is safe from politicians.
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85 comments Add your comment
Common Sense
October 29th, 2010
3:01 pm
A Yes vote is a no-brainer. $10 a year for the most effective insurance you could buy.
Jeff
October 29th, 2010
3:04 pm
So now BOTH Big Government Party candidates openly support a tax increase.
Makes the decision to give them the Third Finger and vote for John Monds – the ONLY fiscal conservative in the race who WILL lower your taxes – that much easier.
Jeff
October 29th, 2010
3:05 pm
The ad lies, btw. Because there is no definition for “statewide trauma network”, the General Assembly can define that term however they want to in OCGA and direct that money anywhere they want.
BW
October 29th, 2010
3:09 pm
Jeff
So just torpedo the whole thing right? You can’t trust Dems and you can’t trust R’s….where does that leave you?
Jeff
October 29th, 2010
3:11 pm
BW: Give the Ds and Rs the Third Finger – vote Libertarian. At least they haven’t had a part in screwing everything up to this point – they can’t be any worse than the other two yahoos!
eli
October 29th, 2010
3:12 pm
Jeff,
What makes you think taxes aren’t too low?
Furthermore, define fiscal conservative.
In my book a fiscal conservative is one who merely works to ensure the budget is not in the red (ie, that revenue is equal to or greater than spending).
Also, Monds can not lower taxes
Sallie Brown
October 29th, 2010
3:13 pm
Nice contradiction – trust these politicians (Deal and Barnes) and vote the way they suggest, but we’re going to keep “the money safe from politicians.”
It’s sad that we have to tax car owners to pay for what the state should provide with its general fund, but I’m gonna vote “yes” for the sake of my friends and neighbors who don’t live near a trauma center.
thrash223
October 29th, 2010
3:14 pm
It’s just money… today it’s a $10 tag tax… tomorrow who knows. Whatever it is it won’t be enough… it never is. It will just end up allocated for other purposes as soon as they have it in their state piggy bank. Like a 4 year old with $10 at ToysRUs they won’t know what to do with all this new money pouring in but spend it as fast as they can and dig a deeper debt hole. Grow a brain people… Stop turning your money over until they prove themselves responsible to spend it wisely (and that will take a while to prove.)
Karl Marx
October 29th, 2010
3:17 pm
What happened to the Supper Speeder Law. That was suposed to fund This So called Trauma Network. Now they want more Money, NO. All this is, is a wefare plan for Central and South Georgia because they will not vote to fund these improvements and want the Metro Atlanta area to fund it for them. Don’t buy into this hog wash. Vote NO
Hypocrite hunter
October 29th, 2010
3:17 pm
“Trauma network” is not a hospital, it is a categorization of a hospital. This is $80m of corporate welfare to the medical lobby, wildly approved by every elected official that receives contributions from them. If its such a smart idea, why doesn’t the private sector fund the improvements? How many lives are going to be saved and at what cost? Is there a less expensive and more effective alternative? Why is raising taxes and having government determined benefits “Obamacare” when done at the federal level, and a compassionate Republican idea when done at the state level?
BW
October 29th, 2010
3:18 pm
thrash
They all write their bills in that way, D or R. Those who believe that small government reps don’t believe in control of our tax money is fooling themselves. That being said it’s difficult not to get behind something that makes sense such as adequate coverage of the state in trauma centers. The only difference between a public entity and a private entity in the case of implementation is that at least with the public entity you can see where the dollars went if they were misallocated and the appropriate parties can be held accountable whereas with a private entity….well good luck with any transparency
The Snark
October 29th, 2010
3:19 pm
Jeff:
Wrong, buddy. We have a statutory commmission on developing a statewide trauma network pursuant to a statutory definition of trauma services. OCGA Code Sections 31-11-100 et sequence.
BW
October 29th, 2010
3:20 pm
Karl Marx
It’s like with traffic cams….people adjust their behavior to compensate. They just told everyone that nonsense in order to avoid actually asking people to fund something.
thrash223
October 29th, 2010
3:21 pm
I can here it now…”When this Trauma center project is completed we’ll cancel this additional tax… trust us!!!” Just like the GA400 toll booth was a temporary tax for a specified purpose… As soon as its all paid off it will go away… we promise… same crap different tax.
Jeff
October 29th, 2010
3:23 pm
eli:
Because I pay at LEAST 40-50% of my income in taxes, that’s why I think taxes are TOO HIGH!
When it takes the average American worker 99 days to work for NOTHING but to pay their taxes, taxes are TOO HIGH.
When a man has to choose between feeding his family or paying his taxes, taxes are TOO HIGH.
Right now, we’ve got out of control spending in both Ga and Congress. Cut the spending, which the Governor has the power to do, and you lower taxes, because less tax money needs to be stolen from the taxpayer to pay for all the spending.
Jeff
October 29th, 2010
3:24 pm
Snark:
Guess who gets to change the statutes every time they’re in Session? You just proved my point.
eli
October 29th, 2010
3:25 pm
What is with all of this talk of “they.” Do not forget that “we” elect these people.
Just because you do not want something does not mean that 50% +1 voter in your district or in the total population of the state does not want it.
They are fiscally responsible. They are as fiscally responsible as the people want them to be. You obviously can not do the math, trash, but some of us took the time to learn to do so.
As Walker so famously stated: “You can not have guns, butter and low taxes. The number just don’t add up.”
Do you want clean water? Do you want traffic lights and signs? Do you want roads maintained and safe? Do you want a power grid? a military? a national gaurd? medicare? social security? libraries? schools? an educated and healthy work force? safe products (ie leather car interiors that will not cause cancer and/or birth defects)? what about safe food? safe drugs? law enforcement? jails? armor and ammunition for police? court houses? a legislature? I can keep going on, but guess what all of this has in common. Tax revenue. Freedom is not free, it costs trillions of dollars in tax revenue.
If you do not like it, leave and be a hermit. Drink water with lead in it. Drive in streets without rules. Live in a world in which wrongdoers can not be brought to justice. Otherwise get with the program.
Or do you want to cut a few thousand checks a month to pay private contractors what you want? I hope you do not forget how much the government actually does…because when you forget that government regulates and oversees water quality you may actually end up drinking leaded water. Though your inability to connect the dots tells me you probably have a lot of experience drinking leaded water.
Sick&Tired
October 29th, 2010
3:25 pm
Karl Marx
October 29th, 2010
3:17 pm
You are 100% correct. They should totally fund their own trauma centers. The people in Metro Atlanta pay out the WOOHA in taxes and everything else. These people are just trying to take advantage.
eli
October 29th, 2010
3:26 pm
Jeff, if you can not feed your family cut back on your own spending.
Jeff
October 29th, 2010
3:30 pm
eli:
There are private ways to do virtually everything you just described, and these private methods would be MORE effective than Big Government.
Think about it: If you’re in the business of providing water, are you going to let it become contaminated and lose business to your competitor who provides clean water? NO! You’re going to invest in making sure your water is absolutely sparking at all times, from the time it is collected through the time it enters the consumer’s hands.
It wasn’t private business that failed and let the peanut butter from South Ga get tainted a few years back – it was government. Had the private business been left to its own devices, it would have gone out of business with no government intervention at all.
MidGaRetiree
October 29th, 2010
3:32 pm
Bloggers say people in middle and south GA want Metro Atlanta to pay for the trauma network. People in Atlanta have been demanding the the entire state of Georgia pay for MARTA and Grady. Do you think that some where there may be some common ground or basis for a trade-off?????
Jeff
October 29th, 2010
3:33 pm
Gotta love the elitists like eli who think that a man should work 50% of the time “for the common good”.
Eli: There is no such thing as the “common good”. When a man claims there is a “common good”, he is nothing more than a thief who is looking to live off someone else’s productivity.
It is absolutely morally WRONG to force a man to live for the sake of another man. We fought a war to end slavery 150 years ago, and you want to continue to practice it.
eli
October 29th, 2010
3:36 pm
Jeff,
Would you let it be contaminated and lose business? Sure. Private business has a distinct history of finding a profitable cut off point. Government is concerned with just outcomes, business profitable ones. Business would likely find a treatment cut off point allowing so much lead to flow through the water supply whereas government would not allow any. It was private business that failed with the peanut butter contamination. If private business is the end all be all of efficiency and safety those companies would have standards that exceed those of the government. That is not the case though. Private business is all about the drive to the bottom.
How is that incorrect? honestly, if business wants to do better it can. The regulations never say that a contamination level must be x%. They state that contamination may not exceed x%. Sure a few bureaucrats did not do their jobs, but that is no different than private business.
That is not Big Government either. I have always been curious though…define big government.
Bill
October 29th, 2010
3:40 pm
Jeff: You are paying too much in taxes. Find yourself a good tax lawyer or accountant. Maybe try Nathan Deal’s.
john
October 29th, 2010
3:41 pm
An earlier poll showed strong resistance. I bet there will be a similar swing in Barnes’ numbers.
Virginia
October 29th, 2010
3:42 pm
Karl Marx
October 29th, 2010
3:17 pm
What happened to the Supper Speeder Law. That was suposed to fund This So called Trauma Network. Now they want more Money, NO. All this is, is a wefare plan for Central and South Georgia because they will not vote to fund these improvements and want the Metro Atlanta area to fund it for them. Don’t buy into this hog wash. Vote NO.
Karl: Good thing you never drive south of metro Atlanta! If you did, you just might get hit by one of those logging trucks in south Georgia if you’re driving backroads, or a semi if you’re on the Interstate. Then you or your kids or grandkids might just need a trauma center nearby. $10 doesn’t seem like all that much when you think about what you might lose.
Sick&Tired
October 29th, 2010
3:43 pm
MidGaRetiree
October 29th, 2010
3:32 pm
Are you kidding, MARTA has been raising their ridder fees for years. What exactly has the state done to fund MARTA? People come in from all over the country, state and other countries to events in Atlanta.
What exactly do we get out of South or Middle Georgia?
Jeff
October 29th, 2010
3:44 pm
eli:
What is their incentive for being better than the government, when government caps what they can make and how they can make it? Without Big Government telling them what to do, free market capitalism provides their incentive in the form of cold hard cash. The better their product, the more they can charge for it and the more money they can make – which they can then use to both line their pockets and make their product even better.
We’ve got kids that can barely read “See Spot Run” that are *graduating from public high school*, and you say PRIVATE businesses are a “race to the bottom”????
Sick&Tired
October 29th, 2010
3:45 pm
If you want a trade off, try paying what we pay in taxes and we’ll meet you half way on the trauma centers.
john
October 29th, 2010
3:46 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2010/10/07/insideradvantage-poll-trauma-care-vote-on-life-support/
22 days ago, Forty-eight percent of all Georgians are against the proposed amendment. Only 26 percent support it.
DannyX
October 29th, 2010
3:51 pm
“People in Atlanta have been demanding the the entire state of Georgia pay for MARTA and Grady.”
You have got to be kidding me! 35% of all taxes collected in metro-Atlanta go to other parts of the state. THIRTY-FIVE percent. Read the recent editorial about the total lack of support from the state and the effect it is now having on growth. Nobody from south Georgia is paying anything to Atlanta.
MARTA and Grady have been squeezed by the state. Fulton and DeKalb taxpayers have had to pick up the slack, we have taxed ourselves extra for MARTA trains and Grady trauma. Now we are expected to fund extra regional and state wide projects too! What a deal.
Then Atlanta gets trashed. Everywhere in Georgia. At the same time these same people have their hands stuck out demanding their entitlement.
double
October 29th, 2010
3:52 pm
Halloween late this year Nov 2nd.
thrash223
October 29th, 2010
3:56 pm
Eli – Yes we do need to pay taxes and yes we vote reps in, the problem being they do not hold to the standards most constituents expect, we trust them too, but they have failed us.
GA has a 44 million dollar debt currently. Yes, govt helps to give us fresh H2O, police, and streets, but for example Atl. Water is one of the most inefficient ops I’ve ever witnessed. 10 people doing the job of 2… That’s Gov’t for you.
Oversight and regulation are good in places they need to be (when also regulated themselves)… however, millions of funding for arts, useless money losing public transit operations, and personal interest bearing pet projects eat up tons of tax payers dollars. Budgets are laughed at within Gov’t circles. No accountability exists except trough our voting power.
When they show they make the real cuts needed, then I might be willing to give them more than the 35% of my hard earned income that I already do.
eli
October 29th, 2010
3:58 pm
they do not cap anything. cash is not an as big of an incentive as you think it is. can I pay you $350k plus funeral expenses to murder your child without legal repercussions? Probably not. Why? Because money is not everything. Power and sentiment play big roles in decision making.
Furthermore, when we begin talking about commodities, we are really talking about rights. You have the right to clean water. I have the right to clean water. Why? Because we have the right to live healthy productive lives. We should not be paying competitive rates. Also, there is nothing in your argument to suggest the absence of a cut off point. Just look at the public opinion polling industry. Why do private companies stop making calls when they reach the +/-3.5% error mark? Because it is good enough. ANES is an NSF funded opinion polling project that has a margin of error of less than .5%. Why? Because of the ends pursued.
What makes you think businesses will reinvest profits? They have not done so for two years. Chances are they are just going to hoard away the money to spend on political advocacy in 2012.
Last Man Standing
October 29th, 2010
4:08 pm
Virginia:
I think I’m in need of a trauma center now because I actually agree with you on something!
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
4:19 pm
Let me get this straight… I’m asked to vote for a $10.00 tax to build something that (in effect) will cost me an arm and a leg if I ever have to visit the place? Just let me die already!
john
October 29th, 2010
4:53 pm
I’m sure there are a lot of people like JJ that would rather die then pay a bill.
Bob
October 29th, 2010
5:19 pm
If we had gun control in this state, we’d need fewer trauma centers. Maybe a $10 registration fee should be charged for each gun. That would probably be enough to fund Grady and MARTA too.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
5:20 pm
That’s why I try not to have any. Now you want me to vote in favor of one?
By the way… I have some ocean-front property in Arizona for sale. If you’ll vote for another $10.00 tax hike, the government can clean the property so all of you liberals can enjoy it. I will have to charge a small fee for entering the property, however.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
5:22 pm
“GUN CONTROL:” USE BOTH HANDS!!!
Try it, Bob! It works for me.
Bob
October 29th, 2010
5:23 pm
JJ: The liberals in Atlanta have trauma centers. We’re being asked to pay so necks in Middle and South Georgia can have some too.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
5:30 pm
That’s great, Bob! YOU pay my ten dollars. You liberals might just be ok afterall!
Virginia
October 29th, 2010
5:37 pm
Last Man, I can’t believe it either, but I’m glad it’s true. Maybe there’s hope for all of us yet!! Have a nice evening.
Bob
October 29th, 2010
6:29 pm
JJ: I’m moderate. Let Middle and South Georgia pay for their own trauma centers.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
6:44 pm
Bob: I’m conservative. Keep government out of the medical business altogether! When I get to stop paying for everybody else’s injuries and/or babies, I might think about helping to build a trauma center in south Georgia.
Paddy O
October 29th, 2010
7:08 pm
This tax will raise $80 million per year for infinity. This “trauma network” should not cost that much money – however, if you read what they wish to pay with it, then they will be able to gobble up all the money. Also, DO NOT believe that the general assembly will never reprogram the money – there are a couple other “trust funds” that have revenue dedicated for a purpose that, when the tax receipts are down get siphoned to fill the holes in the budget. If this tax was proposed at $5 per tag, I might opt for it. As it is, it is way too expensive. BTW, they intend to pay medical expenses for idiots who get into these trauma events, but do not have any $$ or insurance. Also, they hope to fund the actual training of employees with these funds. It is a gigantic slush fund for the medical community – who already skip paying property tax for hospitals throughout the state – or did you not know the hospital administrators are already screwing the general populace out of taxes?
Bob
October 29th, 2010
7:51 pm
JJ: The private sector has not paid for trauma centers in parts of the state. If they are necessary, then the government should pay. However, the issue is whether we in Atlanta should pay or whether that should be funded locally. In Fulton and Dekalb, we’re paying for Grady.
Personally, I don’t have a second home on Sea Island and I don’t go quail hunting in South Georgia so I’m not seeing any personal benefit paying for trauma centers in those areas.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
7:56 pm
…oh… I almost forgot. You’d have to have a rainbow on there to support “CHANGE!”
Bob
October 29th, 2010
8:00 pm
JJ: People making comments like that at 7:49 usually have a wide stance in the airport restroom (or preach in megachurches). The rest of us are not especially threatened and live and let live.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
8:10 pm
Believe me, Bob. I have “paid.”
“If they are necessary, then the government should pay.” You’re showing your true colors, Bob.
What ever happened to “the people” being responsible for ourselves? What ever happened to the people paying our own way? What ever happened to private enterprise – even in the medical profession? Why is it that you people think everybody else owes you a living?
Why don’t you simply move to a country controlled by a dictatorship or complete socialism? Where were you when Hitler needed you? Oh… nevermind, you would have been one of the misfits in society who believes the “government” owes you a living.” …and a trauma center.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
8:14 pm
Bob: Being that I am an ordained minister, could you point to that part of scripture that says we should “live and let live?”
Bob
October 29th, 2010
8:19 pm
So in your thinking, the Government shouldn’t pay for anything.
Schools? There are private schools but how about those who can’t pay? No education for them. People who can contribute to society won’t be educated.
Roads. Only toll roads. If you can’t pay, don’t drive. Sidewalks – toll. No walking if you can’t pay.
You’re not conservative, you’re an anarchist.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
9:19 pm
…tell ya what let’s do. Let’s make it where we all must go to work for at least 8 hours / day (except for those who chose not to)… and send everything (every penny) that we earn to the government. The government will pay for everything that we need including our housing. All houses will be built exactly alike. Every household will recieve free health care, food, transportation, etc. along with an equal allowance.
I think I’m beginning to like this idea already! In fact, I think I’ll just not show up for work on Monday!
Thank you for helping me understand! I was confused before!
Bob
October 29th, 2010
9:32 pm
There is a happy medium between anarchy and communism/fascism. The private sector does not supply everything. There are public goods that require government. Government also is needed to protect the private sector. Sorry.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
9:33 pm
If you really stop an think about it, Bob… a lot of the things people “can’t afford” is because of GUBERMINT !
Most people can’t afford an education because of GUBERMINT !
Most people can’t afford medical care because of GUBERMINT !
Most people can’t afford housing because of GUBERMINT !
Most people can’t afford everything elese because of GUBERMINT !
When America finally realizes that “Walnut Grove” wasn’t so bad after all, we might get back on the right path!
Bob
October 29th, 2010
9:35 pm
Ordained minister? Lots of ministers and priests molest little boys while preaching hate.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
9:38 pm
“There is a happy medium between anarchy and communism/fascism.” I know… it’s called “The JewSA.”
john
October 29th, 2010
9:39 pm
Not only an anarchist, JJ is also an antichrist. Don’t we all reminisce about the good ol’ days when most people didn’t even go to school.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
9:44 pm
Lots of ministers and priests molest little boys while preaching hate. I know, right? There’s also a lot of liberals wanting me to pay for trauma centers for those who refuse to work for a living.
BTW, God teaches “hate,” too… or did you miss those lessons? Many people have.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
9:57 pm
…when most people didn’t even go to school… Most of the ones you speak of simply “go to school” anyway. Most of them (in GA) graduate without any education at all. Only a select few actually learn anything. Many of them never finish. I see most of those in the prison system. I’m usually surprised that they can spell their own names. What is strange to me is that many of their names aren’t coined to proper (English, African, etc.) names. Many of thier names are a result of thier parents’ inability to spell!
john
October 29th, 2010
10:03 pm
You misspelled “their” twice. Also, don’t you know it’s rude to shout with your obnoxious bolding? What in tarnation are you talking about anyway?
Bob
October 29th, 2010
10:03 pm
Rabbi Hillel – That which is hateful to you, do not unto another: The rest is commentary
john
October 29th, 2010
10:04 pm
I had to dig deep, but using my hickdar, I see that you are a racist, very well, enjoy the mountains.
john
October 29th, 2010
10:18 pm
BTW JJ Harper, I didn’t know imperial wizards were allowed here…
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
10:18 pm
To Rabbi Hillel :
John 8 : 42 – 47 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
10:23 pm
Bob… what part of the First Amendment don’t you understand? I can (probably) help you.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
10:24 pm
…excuse me… I meant “John.”
john
October 29th, 2010
10:29 pm
The First Amendment only applies to the government, the AJC can choose who they want to comment. I mean letting an imperial wizard post would be like the U.S.listening at the U.N. as Ahmadinejad rambled about 9/11 trutherism.
Virginia
October 29th, 2010
10:29 pm
JJ: Maybe you should get a grip and actually read the Bible sometime. God does not want us to hate one another, but to help each other when we can.
“And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
I wish you would read my post of 3:42 – would you really want to lose your wife or child or parent because of $10.00 a year? I-75S and I-85S go through counties that do not have trauma centers. I hope you don’t have an accident there.
john
October 29th, 2010
10:42 pm
$10 is probably the membership fee JJ has to pay to the American White Knights.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
10:45 pm
Virginia: Your rendition of Luke 10:27 would suggest that we should love satan, himself. In that case, why don’t you blow a kiss to Osama bin Laden? God’s word is written in context to any given subject at hand. If your “neighbor” is of satan, he/she is not of God.
As for your post on 3:42, my entire family (and I) can afford a helicopter ride to any trauma center in the USA or abroad…. which is usually quicker than having to manipulate Atlanta traffic. As far as I know, none of us are afraid of death. Personally, my Living Will states “do not resuscitat…”
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
10:49 pm
John: The hate is coming out in you….
john
October 29th, 2010
10:50 pm
I am scared of cross burners, that is all.
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
11:02 pm
No, you’re not, John. You’re only scared of your own uncertainty.
Virginia
October 29th, 2010
11:18 pm
Okay, then. Good luck with that Life Flight thing and I guess you really don’t understand the concept of regional trauma centers. If you really think you could be in a serious accident and, just because you have the money to do it, you would last (meaning stay alive) long enough to go “anywhere in the US or abroad”, then have at it. Maybe you’re not scared of death, maybe your children or parents or wife or grandparents are…God bless them. Also, that was not my “rendition” of Luke 10:27. Look up the word before you use it. Cleansing the gene pool is not a bad thing sometimes. For the cost of 2 cups of Starbucks coffee, you would risk yourself and your family? Go figure!
JJ Harper
October 29th, 2010
11:39 pm
Virginia, dear…. you’re missing the whole point. Here’s something I would like for you to do in the next year. Buy yourself a “piggy-bank.”
(Buy a nice one…. something you can’t see through… something that you can’t open easily… something that you wouldn’t want to break. My wife has a nice pig that she uses. Whomever made the pig spent a lot of time and effort making the plastic pig.)
Every day, put your change (out of your pocket) in the piggy-bank. After one year… break open the piggy bank. You will be shocked at the money you’ve saved!!!
You might want to stop spending five bucks on a cup of coffee to add to your piggy bank.
When you break open your piggy bank, please don’t have a heart attack!
… you’ll realize what I’m saying about government taxation gimmicks like this Amendment 2. You can tax yourself to death for what seems like a good thing at the time. The government will tax you to death and use the funds for whatever they choose.
Like the piggy bank, if you save it… government will begin to see that America is tired of it’s spending policies. And government will be better off with an economy that has strength instead of debt.
Jeff
October 30th, 2010
4:41 am
eli:
The only thing you have a “right” to is that which does NOT force another man to provide it for you. I would argue that you have a right to water – its purity is NOT a right, and is ultimately up to you to make sure you get clean water (hello, BRITA)
Last Man Standing
October 30th, 2010
7:31 am
I’d like to point out a few things to consider with regard to using helicopters to transport patients to trauma centers. IF the helicopter is airborn at the time needed and IF it is in close proximity to the site needed, it could possibly transport a patient in time to save a life. If the weather is bad, the helicopter might not even be a viable resource. Helicopters are EXTREMELY costly to maintain and operate.
I have seen many people die for lack of immediate medical attention. Had there been a trauma center nearby, many of these people would have survived. That type of situation is not one any reasonable person would like to see. It may not be you who eventually needs the care only a trauma center can provide, but it could be your mother, father, brother, sister, wife, husband or best friend. I urge you to think carefully before voting on this issue.
Stop Scaring Us into TAXES
October 30th, 2010
8:23 am
NO NEW TAXES
WE HAVE A NEW HEALTHCARE PLAN. A SWEEPING HEALTHCARE PLAN, WHICH SHOULD CONSIDER THESE NEEDS
$10/CAR TODAY….. $30 PER CAR IN A FEW YEARS.
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
john
October 30th, 2010
11:02 am
If you have a pathetic $1000 in a savings account with a pathetic 1% interest, there is $10 right there. Or look for 2.7 cents each day that will work too.
Pat H
October 30th, 2010
12:46 pm
In order to maintain the “trauma center” designation, the hospital must staff it with a surgeon 24/7. Even if there is no need for the surgeon, there must be one on location.
How can podunk hospitals possibly afford to maintain a trauma center? Truth is, they can’t. And if you have an accident, the care providers you need may not be available, the MRI technician is on call and has to come in, etc. By the time those people are in place, they could have flown you to a designated trauma center in Atlanta.
That is why Children’s Hospital and Northside have helicopter landing pads. It takes less time to fly from Valdosta by helicopter than to staff a trauma center in Valdosta. If they don’t have a pediatric surgeon, either in place or even in town, they would have to fly them to Children’s anyway, which is in that child’s best interests anyway.
Just because you pay $10 extra for a car tag, that will not cover trauma centers. Maybe the building and equipment, but certainly not the staff around the clock.
Bobby
October 31st, 2010
5:44 pm
I believe the law says “minimum” of $10.00 and yet no one says that. What will the fee be 5 years from now. Plus, those funding the advertising are receipients of the money, three hospitals which are considered poor and depressed areas of the state: Grady, Columbus Regional, and Colosseum (Macon) A lot of the funding will go to them, and they already get millions from taxpayers for indigent care costs. Now federal government is going to charge us for those same people we are already paying for. Money, money, money! why cant they cap charges instead of just finding ways to pay for increased costs!
pete
November 2nd, 2010
7:34 am
republicans raising taxes before he gets in there.
GAPlato
November 2nd, 2010
10:36 am
Before you go to the polls today, one last argument should be made.
The leading cause of death in Georgia for people between the ages of 1 to 44 is… ACCIDENTS.
While we have a limited capacity to prevent these mishaps, we can and should put in place the proper services for the aftermath of the emergency.
Gripe about the politicians, kick them out of office if need be, BUT DO NOT abdicate the responsibility to fix the problem.
VOTE YES ON AMENDMENT 2!
Kelly
November 3rd, 2010
8:10 pm
Amendment 2 was defeated because it was an open-ended, ambiguous, poorly written, permanent tax or fee on the licensed drivers (vehicle tags) of Georgia. The trauma centers are badly needed, but the citizens are tried of being taxed in an open-ended way.
You know we are still being taxed for the Spanish American War on our phone bill?
See: http://msn.fool.com/investing/general/2006/02/03/youre-still-paying-for-the-spanishamerican-war.aspx
People just don’t trust politicians, any party affiliation, when it comes to dealing with tax money…