Americans for Prosperity Applauds U.S. Congressional Candidate Tom Graves

-Signs No Climate Tax Pledge-

The Georgia chapter of the grassroots free-market organization Americans for Prosperity (AFP-GA) today applauded U.S. Congressional Candidate Tom Graves (9th District) for signing the group’s “No Climate Tax Pledge.” Graves joins over 240 lawmakers on the federal, state and local levels pledging to “oppose legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in federal revenue.”

“The one thing elected officials should all be able to agree on is that global warming shouldn’t be used as an excuse to hike taxes on citizens and businesses,” said AFP-GA State Director Virginia Galloway. “We encourage all of Georgia’s elected officials and candidates for elected office to sign the pledge.”

Georgia pledge signers include: U.S. Reps. Lynn Westmoreland, Tom Price, Paul Broun, and Phil Gingrey; gubernatorial candidate John Oxendine; State Senate President Pro Tempore Eric Johnson; and State Reps. Martin Scott and Tim Bearden.

Cap-and-trade took its first step toward enactment when the U.S. House narrowly passed the Waxman-Markey energy bill, which escaped the lower chamber by a scant seven votes despite significant bipartisan opposition. However, key Democratic senators have expressed opposition to attempting to pass cap-and-trade this year. President Obama has made no secret of his support for the bill, which would be the largest tax increase in American history. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has scored the plan as an $846 billion increase in federal revenue, a burden that will be borne by taxpayers and consumers for decades to come.

“Using the guise of climate change to transfer dollars from hard-working citizens to bureaucratic big government is unacceptable,” said Galloway. “Regardless of their stance on global warming, this should be common ground for all of our elected officials at all levels of government.”

The pledge is available online at www.NoClimateTax.com. AFP does not endorse candidates. All elected officials and candidates are encouraged to sign the pledge and go on the record in opposition to using the climate change issue to increase taxes and grow the size of government.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 700,000 members, including members in all 50 states, and 25 state chapters. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org
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Graves To Host 4th Annual Corn Roast AND FREEDOM RALLY

Georgia State Representative and Republican 9th Congressional District candidate Tom Graves (R-Ranger) will hold his campaign’s annual corn roast this Saturday, August 29th at Sandy Bottom Farm in Tate, Georgia. This will be the 4th corn roast Graves has hosted for friends, families and supporters and the event begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 2:00 p.m. Roast corn, bbq and all the sides will be served and speeches by Graves and other supporters will be given. The public and press are invited to attend.

WHO: Georgia State Representative and Republican 9th District congressional candidate Tom Graves
State Senator Chip Pearson
State Representative Stephen Allison
State Representative Jay Neal
State Representative Martin Scott

WHAT: 4th Annual Corn Roast and Freedom Rally

WHEN: Saturday, August 29, 2009 ~ 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Sandy Bottom Farm Tate, GA

Family $25 – Individual $10

Directions: (From Tate, GA) Go east on HWY 53; once you pass the Tate Historic House go approximately 2 miles and take a left on Sandy Bottom Farm Rd. East. There will be "Graves for Congress" signs marking the entrance.

annemarie@gravesforcongress.org

Contributions are not tax deductable as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Contributions are prohibited from corporations and foreign nationals. Federal law requires Graves for Congress to use its best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address and occupation and employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle.

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Karen Handel at 2 Events Tomorrow

Join Karen for the Governor's Fish Fry Tomorrow!

Karen will be attending the Governor's Fish Fry tomorrow, and we'd love for you to come and volunteer of just attend and show your support. Tickets are just $10 and the event will take place from 12-2 PM in Perry at:

Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agri Center
401 Larry Walker Parkway
To learn more and sign up to attend or volunteer at the event, follow this link.

Join Karen at the DeKalb County GOP Bar-B-Que Tomorrow!

Join Karen and show your support at the DeKalb County GOP BBQ tomorrow. It begins at 5:30 pm and tickets are just $25. The BBQ will take place tomorrow, Saturday, August 29th, at:

The Fraternal Order of Eagles
3118 Chestnut Drive
Doraville, GA

We hope you can join us.

Graves Launches New Campaign Website

Site enhances largest presence on the web of any of the candidates

Republican State Representative Tom Graves (R-Ranger), candidate for the 9th Congressional District of Georgia, announced today that his new campaign website www.GravesForCongress.org is live on the internet and brings a fresh style of campaign website design online for the 2010 election cycle in Georgia.

“My new site allows 9th District voters to become more involved in our campaign by staying up-to-date on our activities and learn more about how I’ll represent them in Congress,” said Graves. “We’ll use this website to spread our message of protecting liberty and empowering people.”

At the site, voters are able to get campaign updates through Twitter and Tom’s Blog, view videos and pictures from the campaign trail and learn more about the four-term State Representative and his positions, as well as have access to important information regarding voting in the 2010 election.

Graves said the site will be updated frequently and voters should visit often to get current information regarding the campaign and his travels around Georgia’s 9th District.

The new website only enhances Graves’ online campaign, which is the largest among the candidates in the race. Now with the website, multiple Facebook pages and a massive email distribution list, Graves has the ability to instantly reach out to voters across the North Georgia district.

The site also incorporates a petition 9th District voters may sign calling on President Obama and Congressional leaders to make health care reforms “Patient Centered and Patient Driven”. Graves is traveling the district advocating for free market reforms that make health care choices more affordable, portable and accessible.

“These functions will be extremely helpful in getting our message out to the communities throughout the district," added Graves.

Click here for a direct link to the new site: www.GravesForCongress.org.
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Handel for Governor E-Update

Karen Handel Calls on Obama Justice Department to Reverse Position on Non-Citizen's Voting

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today sent a formal request to the Obama Justice Department to reverse course on its prohibition against the state confirming U.S. citizenship for people registering to vote.

The common sense program enacted by Karen's office in 2008 used data from the Department of Driver's Services and the Social Security Administration to make sure newly registered voters were actually U.S. citizens.

Last May the Justice Department banned Georgia from conducting citizenship checks - opening the doors to organizations like ACORN to register non-citizens and encourage them to cast ballots.

Following this move, Karen launched an online petition allowing Georgians to express their opposition to the Obama Administration's move. More than 25,000 Americans signed that petition.

Today's letter is the next step in a legal process to protect Georgia's right to conduct its own elections and to ensure that all Georgia voters are actually citizens of this country.

"Citizenship verification worked in 2008, plain and simple," Karen said. "Historic numbers of people of all ethnic backgrounds voted without difficulty and no qualified voter was kept from casting a ballot."

To show your support for Karen's fight against the Obama Administration and for citizenship verification of voters, please sign the petition today.

Pro-Amnesty MALDEF denounces voter check appeal to DOJ

Not only is Karen taking on the Obama Administration to ensure that only U.S. citizens are voting in our elections, she is also fighting other liberal groups such as the ACLU and MALDEF. It was no surprise this week when MALDEF attacked Karen for her efforts.

Karen announced the appeal on Wednesday, and according to yesterday's article by the Associated Press, "the Mexican Legal Defense and Education Fund is denouncing Georgia's appeal of the Justice Department's rejection of a voter check plan." The article also cites Elise Shore, regional counsel for MALDEF, calling Karen's voting reforms a "flawed, unreliable system that creates barriers to voting."

Karen is going to continue standing up against these groups to fight for sensible voting reforms. To read the entire article, follow this link.

Karen to Speak at Atlanta Health Care Town Hall Saturday

Obama's healthcare plan has been stalled by real Americans speaking out and if we want real, sensible reform we need to keep it up. Join Karen at the Atlanta Health Care Town Hall tomorrow.

To RSVP or volunteer for the event, follow this link.

The event will be at Atlanta's Centennial Park from 1:00 - 4:00 tomorrow and other speakers include Dick Armey and Herman Cain.
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Invitation from Karen Handel to America's Healthcare Town Hall 8/15/09

This Saturday, thousands of people from across Georgia and the nation will meet in Atlanta to send a message to President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Congress that our voices will be heard in the debate on Health Care. Will you join us?

Washington's liberal leaders have tried to force a health care overhaul through Congress with little to no debate, but public outcry has caused that effort to fail. Now, Speaker Pelosi is calling protests against their plan "un-American," and media outlets are helping her get away with it.

Please join me in Atlanta on Saturday at Centennial Olympic Park. I will join speakers like Dick Armey, Herman Cain and Joel Aaron in making sure our voices are heard. You can also help us distribute materials and get our "Bring It On" message out to the thousands of attendees at the rally.

America's Healthcare Town Hall will be held in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta on Saturday, August 15 from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. To RSVP for the event, or if you are interested in volunteering at the event, please follow this link right now.

This Saturday, we will remind President Obama and Speaker Pelosi that the power of democracy lies in the hands of the people. Please help us use that power to stop this expansive program that will raise taxes, deepen our economic crisis, lower the quality of healthcare in America, and pledge even more of our freedoms to Washington bureaucrats.

See you there,
Karen C. Handel

New Column on the Georgia Front Page

We're setting up a special section for Georgia candidate events. We'll list who, when & where, contact info / website and a one-line description. Should be short! Send it to us via our Facebook page (Georgia Front Page) OR send to news@georgiafrontpage.com.

Handel for Governor E-Update

Congress Out of Control, Spending on Luxury Jets an Outrage

Is it just me or has Congress lost its collective mind? While the rest of the country is suffering through the worst economy in a generation, they are buying themselves a fleet of new luxury private jets to fly themselves around in.

And these are the guys who chastised auto industry executives for flying to Washington on private jets? I think today's article in the Wall Street Journal summed it up nicely:

WASHINGTON -- Congress plans to spend $550 million to buy eight jets, a substantial upgrade to the fleet used by federal officials at a time when lawmakers have criticized the use of corporate jets by companies receiving taxpayer funds.The purchases will help accommodate growing travel demand by congressional officials. The planes augment a fleet of about two dozen passenger jets maintained by the Air Force for lawmakers, administration officials and military chiefs to fly on government trips in the U.S. and abroad.The congressional shopping list goes beyond what the Air Force had initially requested as part of its annual appropriations. The Pentagon sought to buy one Gulfstream V and one business-class equivalent of a Boeing 737 to replace aging planes. The Defense Department also asked to buy two additional 737s that were being leased.- The Wall Street Journal, August 7th, 2009

Obama, Healthcare, and the Real Issue

In Georgia, 95% of our companies have fewer than 50 employees. If our federal government lays a new and crushing burden of taxes and regulations on these business owners, our state's - and the nation's - economy could be ruined for many years to come.

This week, I traveled to Dublin, Statesboro, Savannah, Springfield and Atlanta. The people I met are truly concerned about the direction our country is going in. And, yes, they are mad. They are mad that Washington politicians aren't listening to their concerns.

This is a national issue but a state issue as well. States like Georgia are going to be left footing huge parts of the bill for any changes in Medicaid and we will bear the brunt of the economic damage and job losses that would sweep our state if any of the current health care plans become the law of the land.

I will be blogging on this very important issue in the near future, so stay tuned!

Congress Should Pass the FairTax Now

If Congress and the Obama Administration were serious about creating jobs, stimulus and helping the economy they would pass the Fair Tax which would help GA businesses and families immediately.

Read about my position on the FairTax in the issues section of my website.

Effingham County is Handel Territory

Effingham County Commissioner Reggie Loper and his wife Sheryl hosted a meet and greet in Springfield this week. With over 40 people in attendance, and many community leaders there, I am really encouraged about our support in the county.

I told the crowd in Effingham County on Wednesday that we need to overhaul the whole tax code. The local paper picked up on that:

"We have to look at economic development incentives and investments as investments in our future, not as a cost on our bottom line," she said. Handel also called for an overhaul of the state's tax system. Three of Georgia's competitors for growth - Florida, Texas and Tennessee - have no state income tax."We're losing out on the tax side," she said. "We have an antiquated tax system in the state. We need to revamp it completely and comprehensively in partnership with the counties, the cities and the school boards."- Effingham Herald, August 6th, 2009

For the rest of the original article, please follow this link
Thanks for your support!
Karen C. Handel
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Tom Graves: Raising Taxes Eliminates Jobs, Not Create Them

President Obama wrong to raise taxes to pay for liberal spending

Republican State Representative Tom Graves (R-Ranger), candidate for the 9th Congressional District of Georgia, today said that the Obama Administration has it all wrong when considering raising taxes on the middle class in order to pay for their liberal agenda.

“Raising taxes kills jobs and hurts working families, especially during a recession,” said Graves. “Cutting taxes is the surest way to create jobs and put out of work Americans back on the payroll. President Obama is wrong to consider a tax increase to pay for the Democrat’s out of control spending and $1 trillion deficit.”

Sunday, President Barak Obama’s top economic advisors began laying the ground work for a tax hike on the middle class despite pledges from the President on the campaign trail not to do so. This revelation comes after the President and the Democrat-controlled Congress passed a $1 trillion energy tax and is determined to pass a $1 trillion health care bill when Congress returns from a month-long vacation.

Last week, Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Kyle Wingfield wrote that Ed Singleton, a small business owner from Ellijay, was considering selling his 11 Subway sandwiches shops because the increased cost of the recent minimum wage increase and the potential new taxes and health care mandates being discussed in Washington. Singleton said “The things that Obama’s doing are detrimental to small businesses, which are the lifeblood of this country,” said Singleton. “I can’t stay in business like that.”

“The President and Congress need to be looking for ways to reduce the tax burden on the middle class and small businesses who are already struggling,” said Graves, the four-term state representative and small businessman. “Our economy will recover by putting people back to work, through an expanded private sector, not an expanded government.”

Last session of the Georgia General Assembly Graves authored the Jobs Opportunity and Business Success Act, HB 481 and 482. The JOBS Act, which received national attention, was focused on helping small businesses by creating, expanding and attracting jobs through a series of tax credits, cuts, and incentives for businesses to hire Georgians.

Graves said if elected to Congress he will fight the Democrats tax and spend mentality.

“In Congress, I’ll fight against those in Congress who are spending the next generation into bankruptcy and the tax increases that go along with it,” said Graves. “I’ll work to eliminate wasteful spending, implement a balanced-budget and advocate for a fairer, flatter tax system so working Georgians can choose how much they pay in taxes to the Federal government.”