Karen Handel: 2/19/10 Update

Last week, I was attacked by some career politicians for making serious, long-term budget cuts in the Secretary of State's office - rather than relying on short-term ploys like furloughs.

When I took over as Secretary of State, the office was bloated, outdated, inefficient, and poorly managed. So, I changed it. Bringing in a results-oriented leadership team, we went to work to modernize the Agency.

And, to the dismay of some, I did the unthinkable. I actually reduced the number of employees in my office.

This is what differentiates me from most career politicians in our government today.

I believe our government is bloated and should be smaller… and smarter! This is the time to make the difficult decisions.

We cannot furlough our way out of this budget crisis. They just don't make sense in the face of ongoing deficits. And, it's not leadership.

Those who say that furloughs are the only way have either been in office so long that they've become part of the status quo or they're afraid to make the hard decisions Georgia needs.

If Georgia businesses ran their companies this way, they would be out of business. As your next Governor, I will do things differently.

I'll lead a top-to-bottom review of state government. We will reprioritize our spending to those mission-critical services that government should focus on - like education, health, public safety, and infrastructure. And then, we'll cut the rest. We'll realign the top-heavy management structure and look for the opportunities to consolidate and privatize.

My message to Georgia's taxpayers is a simple one: You deserve better, and we will do better.
Under my leadership, budgets aren't going to be balanced on the back of employees being forced to take unpaid furlough days. You won't hear talk of "sharing the pain."

Some jobs in state government are more important than others. Teachers and state patrol officers should not - and will not - be treated the same as the bureaucrats.

If you feel the same as I do, I could use your help. I have upset some of the career politicians by speaking out on ethics and now for refusing to take the "easy way out" on budget cuts.

Political insiders have a pretty big megaphone, but I have a stronger grassroots team. Will you hep me show them what they're up against with a contribution to my campaign?

Help me get my message out. If you can, make a contribution of $25, $50 or $100 to my campaign right now. Volunteer to help. Put a bumper sticker on your car. Identify five or ten friends, family members or neighbors and forward this email to them so they can sign up today.

With your help, I'll be Georgia's next Governor, and together, we'll do the UNUSUAL... put an end to business-as-usual in state government!

Thanks for your support,
Karen Handel