Fully Sympathetic (Election Workers Need to be Protected from COVID)

Published in the Towns County Herald October 12, 2020

Dear Editor,

                The editor’s note appended to the letter from Dave and Denise Phillips (Government Leadership) in the July 29, 2020, edition was incorrect in asserting that the Governor’s order on COVID-19 prohibits local election officials from mandating that election workers wear masks during the August 11 runoff election.  It does not.

                Election workers are “Critical Infrastructure” workers under the order.  The provision on Critical Infrastructure states “measures may include, but shall not be limited to the following” (emphasis added).  Because the order does not represent the limits of what may be required, election officials would not be inconsistent with it by requiring workers to wear face masks.  In fact, later in the order, a provision on Critical Infrastructure specifically states that “Providing Personal Protective Equipment as available and appropriate to the function and location of the Worker” should be implemented.  It is hard to picture a function and location more conducive to the spread of a dangerous virus than a crowded polling place if workers and the public are not masked.  Just to emphasize this point, the Governor’s order specifically mandates certain workers, such as restaurant wait staff, wear face masks when they interact with the public.

                As a former member of the Election Board, I was deeply troubled by the Phillips’ letter.  I fully sympathize with them and regret the loss of two civic-minded volunteers at a time when the county is struggling to fully staff its polling places.

                The decision not to require protective measures was improperly premised on an incorrect interpretation of the Governor’s order.  The Towns County Herald should correct its editor’s note.

Jim Powell

Buying Votes with Medicare Money

Published in the Towns County Hearld Oct. 10, 2020

Dear Editor,

                Once again we see an irresponsible President attempting to corrupt our political system through whatever means he can devise and regardless of the consequences.  President Trump’s latest effort at vote buying is a plan to spend $7 billion of public money on issuing $200 drug discount cards to 33 million of the 44 million seniors on Medicare.

                If you are a senior on Medicare, as I am, you should be incensed at this insult to our intelligence and integrity.  I hope I speak for all seniors in Towns County when I say, “MY VOTE WILL NOT BE BOUGHT.”

                His plan to issue discount cards flies in the face of good policy (“A one-time savings card will neither provide lasting help, nor advance the fundamental reforms necessary to help seniors better afford their medicines,” according to a spokesman for the drug industry trade group PhRMA.).  But that’s not the primary reason for concern.

                It also reverses long-standing Republican consensus on free markets because it relies for its funding on savings from a future program that would tie drug prices paid by Medicare in the United States to prices paid in other countries.  When Democrats have proposed such a linkage to make drugs more affordable for seniors, Republicans and the drug industry have fought it off in favor of allowing the marketplace to set prices.

                Finally, it follows a pattern of debt financing where the promise of future savings is used to pay for current spending.  It is a pattern most often used to explain away the impact of tax cuts without a concurrent reduction in spending on existing programs, and is the reason our national debt (currently at more than $24 TRILLION) is approaching parity with the GDP for the first time since World War II.

                I am a fiscally conservative Democrat.  A point of pride is that I worked for a Member of the U.S. House Budget Committee at the one time in recent history when Congress not only produced a balanced budget but actually generated surpluses and began paying down the national debt.  One of the things we fought against was the tendency for some, both Democrats and Republicans, to throw a party with unrealized gains (that is spending public money while relying on future savings to pay the costs).

                I do not enjoy writing these letters, but I feel compelled because the outrages of the current President will not cease.  But, more than that, a strong two-party system is critical to reaching sound government policies that can unite our country.  For that reason, I write to head off the demise of the Republican Party before it is usurped by its Trumpican wing.  Its demise is brought closer by this latest vote-buying proposal that demonstrates the Trumpicans do not hold any Republican values as sacred.  Instead, its adherents center their position on the deification of Donald J. Trump, a man without morals, conscience, integrity, love of country, or respect for our Constitution.

David Plunkett

Social Security (Will Lose $1 Trillion Under Trump's Plan)

Published September 23, 2020

Dear Editor,

                I had not planned to respond to the writer of “Rolling My Eyes” (Letter to the Editor, Towns County Herald, Aug. 26, 2020) mainly because of his tacit agreement with my thesis that President Trump’s payroll tax deferral scheme is blatant vote buying with the unusual twist that he is paying for our vote with our own money.  While I think the writer’s false analogy to Medicare for All is spurious for many reasons, that is a discussion for another time.

                Rather than dwell on areas of agreement, I write to address where we disagree.  Without evidence, the writer claims Social Security has been mismanaged for decades.  Really?  On the investment side there is not much managerial discretion.  Trust funds, by law, may be invested only in Federal securities.  On the benefit distribution side, eligibility is controlled by specific criteria.  Overpayment errors consumed 0.64 percent of Social Security outlays in 2018.  For comparison, private industry loses 20 to 30 percent of revenues to inefficiency, according to marketing research.  The mythical “La la land” to which he consigned me, unless he has contrary evidence, is actually the habitat of his ipse dixit proposition.

                If an argument for mismanagement exists, it is in Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his intentions for the payroll tax.  His early and persistent inaction is deepening and prolonging the pandemic.  As a result, more than 13 million people are out of work.  When people don’t work they don’t pay into the trust fund, thus weakening it.  This has the potential to hasten Social Security insolvency by six years and could result in a 31 percent cut in benefits after 2029, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.  His payroll tax deferral scheme is the greater mismanagement.  Paul Van de Water with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates the deferral could reduce the Social Security trust funds by another $100 billion, further exasperating the problem.  Moreover, Trump’s proposal to eliminate the payroll tax entirely, if not offset, would force Social Security into insolvency by the middle of calendar year 2023, according to the Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration.  Offsetting the loss out of general revenues would require raising taxes by $1.034 TRILLION or increasing the debt by an equal amount annually.  (Budget cutting won’t work.)

                Finally, there is that claim Trump knows what he is doing with respect to the economy.  Trump’s record is hardly one of economic prowess, considering his properties declared bankruptcy six times, he lost $1 billion on bad investments over 10 years, and other business failures include $60 mail-order Trump steaks and the fraudulent Trump University.  This is not the record of an economic genius.

                As responsible voters we should emphasize facts over fear and truth over fiction when we assess any politician’s proposals and performance.  While I focused on areas of disagreement, I associate myself with the writer’s hope that our nation will recover with God’s help because it certainly won’t under Trump’s leadership.

David Plunkett

Plenty of Reasons to Worry

Published August 19, 2020

Dear Editor,

                Anyone paying into or collecting Social Security should be angry about the President’s recent Executive Order deferring payment of the individual payroll tax.  This is nothing more than the President using your money to buy your vote.  The corruption implicit in that is bad enough, but worse still his scheme will burden working families with a huge tax liability on January 1^st, and threatens the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund so that current and future retirees may also be hurt.  Here’s why.

                While he defers payment through December 31^st, he cannot forgive the taxes due.  As a result, when, two months after the election, January 1^st comes around wage earners will still owe the tax.  

                This will place a tremendous burden on people who live paycheck-to-paycheck since additional money will have to be withheld from their earnings.  For higher wage earners covered by the deferral it will mean less discretionary money to spend in the new-year.  

                The double whammy of lost income for these two groups threatens an even wider population because reduced consumer spending will have a negative impact on the economy at a time when it is still staggering toward recovery from the current COVID-19 recession.  So, what appears to be a tax gift from the President is actually a time bomb waiting to explode.  Compounding the corruption of his vote-buying scheme is his claim that, if reelected, he will defuse the bomb by forgiving the taxes due. 

                After manufacturing a crisis in order to buy votes, he is saying the only solution for its aftereffects is to vote for him based on an iffy promise.  

                To forgive taxes he will need to have the cooperation of Congress, the branch of government constitutionally authorized to alter the tax code.  Considering that Congress has been in bipartisan opposition to a payroll tax holiday, he probably won’t be able to deliver on that promise, and that’s assuming he is reelected.

                The danger we face doesn’t stop there.  The President in remarks during his signing ceremony said he will propose doing away with the payroll tax if reelected.  He did not say what he would replace it with.  

                Since the payroll tax supports payment of Social Security benefits, unless another source of funding is found, the only outcome possible from ending the payroll tax is ending Social Security.  

                I, like many seniors, paid into the program with the understanding that Social Security would pay me back in retirement.  Sixty-three million Americans rely on Social Security.  

                Their income is now threatened by the President’s ill-conceived and incomplete proposal to wipe out their Social Security.

                Working families and senior citizens have plenty of reasons to worry about the President’s recent Executive Order and to call on the President to rescind it.  

                If his blatant vote-buying scheme is allowed to stand, I am afraid all of us, Social Security beneficiaries present and future, will be the losers.

Sincerely,

David Plunkett

County Party Leaders Offer Suggestions for Smart Voting

    While Towns County’s two major political party leaders may not agree on the preferred outcome of the 2020 elections, they absolutely agree that every vote should count.   Consequently, Republican Party Chair Betsy Young and Democratic Committee Chair Charlotte Sleczkowski are takings steps to get the public educated about the electoral process to help ensure the Aug. 11 primary runoffs go smoothly.

    For a smoother election process, we wish for everyone to understand the procedures,” Sleczkowski said during a recent working session between the county’s two political party chairs.  Their efforts focused on lessons learned during the June 9 Republican and Democratic primaries in Georgia, with particular attention on the absentee ballot process.

    Quoting the late Louis Brandeis, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Young noted of the electoral process: “The most important office, and the one which all of us can and should fill, is that of a private citizen.”

    First off, Young and Sleczkowski noted that if a registered voter did not vote in the June primary, they may still vote in the Aug 11 runoff.  The August runoff is open to all registered voters.

    Voter registration for the Aug. 11 runoff ended July 13 in Georgia but is open through Oct. 5 for the Nov. 3 general election.  Early voting in Towns County for the Aug. 11 primary runoff began Monday, July 20, and will continue through Friday, Aug. 7, at the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration office, at 67 Lakeview Circle in Hiawassee, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.  No Saturday voting for the runoff is scheduled.  

    Voting absentee technically is considered early voting.  Both Young and Sleczkowski stressed that voting absentee is a two-step process: first, requesting an application for an absentee ballot, and second, casting the ballot.

    Voters who are disabled or elderly (65 and older) and who asked to receive an absentee ballot for the remainder of the 2020 election cycle (by indicating so on their original absentee ballot application) will be sent an absentee ballot automatically for the Aug. 11 runoff and subsequent elections in the 2020 election cycle. These voters should be receiving their runoff ballots in the mail any day now.  In other words, if you are elderly or disabled and requested an absentee ballot for the remainder of the 2020 election cycle, you do not need to reapply for an absentee ballot for the Aug. 11 runoff, the party leaders said.

    However, for all other registered voters who desire to vote by absentee ballot in the Aug. 11 runoff, you must request an absentee ballot by contacting the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration or by obtaining an absentee ballot application online via the Georgia Secretary of State's website (www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP).  Absentee ballot request applications are available in the outside lobby of the county Board of Elections and Registration office. The absentee ballot application can then be returned by the voter to the local Board of Elections office either in person or by mail, facsimile (fax) or electronic transmission (email).

    Because of the time needed to process the absentee ballot application, including mail delivery, Young and Sleczkowski strongly suggested that registered voters who wish to apply for an absentee ballot for the Aug. 11 runoff do so no later than Aug. 1 – or at least 10 days before the runoff, to be safe.  The absentee ballot itself cannot be picked up in person at the county Board of Elections and Registration office, they noted; the ballot itself will be mailed to the voter.

    One important distinction should be noted, said Young and Sleczkowski:  If a voter requested an absentee ballot for the June 9 primary but did not receive one, or chose to vote in person instead, the voter will need to submit a new absentee ballot application for the Aug. 11 runoff.  Again, the status of the original application can be viewed at the My Voter Page, www.mvpsosga.gov/MVP. 

    The second step in the absentee voting process is casting the absentee ballot.  Voters can mark and cast their absentee ballot any time after receiving it, but they must be cast – that is, received at the office of the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration – no later than 7 p.m. on Aug. 11, the day of the primary runoff.   Sleczkowski and Young stressed the importance of the absentee ballot being received by that time and date, NOT postmarked. Completed absentee ballots can be mailed to or hand-delivered to the drop box outside the county Board of Elections and Registration office, which is located in the same building as the Civic Center in Hiawassee.  Sufficient postage is required if the ballot is mailed.

    In-person voting in the Aug. 11 runoff begins at 7 a.m., with the polls closing at 7 p.m.  Anyone in line at the three voting precincts – Hiawassee, Young Harris, and Macedonia – will be allowed to vote. Unlike during the June 9 primary, all three of Towns County’s voting precincts will be open on Aug. 11, according to the county Board of Elections and Registration.

    One significant lesson learned from the June 9 primary, Young and Sleczkowski said, is that the oval next to the candidate’s name on the absentee ballot must be filled in completely using a black or blue pen (not pencil) – and NOT checked or marked with an X – so that it can be successfully scanned electronically.  Ballots not marked appropriately may be considered invalid and not counted, they stressed.

    If the absentee ballot is defaced due to error or spillage or by any other means, the voter should immediately contact the county Board of Elections and Registration to receive a replacement ballot, again allowing sufficient time for processing and mailing.  However, Sleczkowski and Young noted that a replacement ballot cannot be mailed on the day prior to the runoff, which would be Aug. 10.

    Voters who successfully cast absentee ballots prior to Aug. 11 do not need to – and should not – show up for in-person voting on election day.  However, if a voter who applied to vote absentee did not receive a ballot, or if a voter cannot confirm via the My Voter Page that their absentee ballot was successfully cast, Young and Sleczkowski said they should go to their polling place on election day so that county election officials can resolve the ballot issue. 

    Because the Aug. 11 election is a party primary runoff, voters will be required to state their party preference to receive a ballot.  If the voter requested a Democratic ballot in June, they must again ask for a Democratic ballot in August, and the same applies for Republican ballots. However, if the voter requested a non-partisan ballot in June, they may ask for either a Democratic or Republican ballot for the Aug. 11 runoff.

    Republican voters on Aug. 11 will choose nominees for the Nov. 3 general election by voting for primary candidates for U.S. representative in the 117th Congress from the 9th Congressional District of Georgia, for state senator from the 50th District, and for Towns County sheriff.  Democratic voters will choose between candidates for the 9th Congressional District only.  

Towns County resident representing 9th District at Democratic National Convention

    Hiawassee resident Jim Powell is one of four elected delegates representing the Ninth Congressional District this week at the all-virtual Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee where former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California will be formally nominated Thursday as the party’s presidential/vice presidential ticket for the Nov. 3 general election.  Powell is participating as a Biden delegate.

 

Jim Powell

  Powell and three others were elected by Ninth District Democrats in May through an online voting process Powell has been active in Georgia Democratic activities for many years.  He was the statewide Democratic candidate for the Georgia Public Service Commission in 2008, when he was the top performing statewide Democratic candidate in the primary, general, and runoff elections.  He works at the grassroots level in support of Georgia Democrats in a variety of statewide, regional, and local elections.  He previously served on the Towns County Board of Elections and Registration.

    Georgia is allocated 129 convention delegates, nine of whom are alternates. Powell is one of 68 district-level delegates and the only delegate from Towns County. The other Ninth District delegates are Virginia Webb of Clarksville, Wilson Golden of Gainesville and Terry Franzen of Jasper.

    Powell retired from the federal government in 2007 after a 35-year career.  He was a member of the Senior Executive Service with the U.S. Department of Energy where he served as the national program manager in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Office, managing a number of initiatives and a budget of more than $300 million.  He served honorably in the U.S. Navy from 1968 to 1972.

    In 2013, President Barak Obama appointed Powell to serve as the federal representative to the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB).  In this role, he served as the official liaison between the SSEB members and all federal agencies. SSEB is a non-profit interstate compact created in 1960 with a mission to enhance economic development and the quality of life in the South through innovations in energy and environmental policies, programs, and technologies. Sixteen Southern states and two U.S. territories comprise the membership of SSEB, and each jurisdiction is represented by the governor and a legislator from the U.S. House and Senate

    A small business owner, Powell currently works as an independent energy efficiency and renewable energy consultant to states, local governments, and industry.  He and his wife, Karen, have been married for 49 years and have lived in Hiawassee since 2006.

Democrats donate to hospital workers' luncheon

Democrats, from left, Karen Powell, Charlotte Sleczkowski, and Elaine Roberts show support for the  hospital workers serving Towns County throughout the pandemic by donating to the Chatuge Regional Hospital luncheon honoring their service.