The Governor of Georgia is already blitzing the airwaves with his campaign theme. He claims to have rescued us from the greatest fiscal crisis since the depression and now watches over a 500 million dollar state surplus. Isn't he a great manager?

You have to wonder a little about "Why do we have a half a billion dollar surplus?" Don't you? How did Sonny do it? He's hoping you won't ask that question. The answers are:

1. Cut a billion dollars from education spending in the state. This shifted the burden of paying for education from the state to the local level. Most districts had to both raise local taxes and cut programs. Music, art, and drama have disappeared in many districts. That was Sonny's move to have fiscal responsiblity. Cut funding for children's education.

2. The increase in gas prices results in a huge increase in gas taxes in Georgia, where taxes go up with price increases. There is a sales tax on gas in Georgia. Price rises are tax increases. Sonny is not telling you that he has presided over an enormous tax increase to balance the budget, but he has. And it is a Republican style tax increase, across the board, hitting the working poor the hardest. Minimum wage workers now spend one day a week working to pay for the gas it takes them to get to work.

That's the rosy picture from Georgia. Cut education. Raise taxes. Why would you want anyone else?