What's The Big Idea?

Hello Friends,

So often when politicians run for office, there's a lack of 'big ideas' - the game changing policies directly crafted to benefit the people.

Most candidates on the far Right conclude that multi-national corporations and America's big businesses should morally guide Georgia and our nation into the next century. They say the USA's Democratic government should mainly focus on building bombs and forcing rape victims to give birth. And, even after the Great Recession, these Republicans still call for "Privatization" of government responsibilities, eager to sign over our Healthcare, Education, Infrastructure and Social Security to the whims of Wall Street. Usually, these politicians are politically well-connected, wealthy and have vested interest in politics as usual (because their donors and business buddies are making money from the current situation).

As a young candidate, I ask of my Republican opponent and all local, incumbent politicians: Where is the vision for our community and Georgia? Where is the legislative creativity? Where is the heart and backbone to work for the people? What are your big ideas to benefit the people?

Here are a few of my 'Big Ideas" for Georgia:

Georgia's Campaign Finance Reform - "CSH" Program

Big money campaign donations from secret interests and PAC's commonly dominate small campaign donations from average people and small businesses. These big money donations set legislative priorities for our politicians and the will of the people becomes secondary - simply because we lack the money to make our voices matter. While thousands (maybe millions) of Georgians, even collectively, will never have the political 'buying power' of just a few corporations and PAC's, there is a way to level the playing field and, once again, as intended by our country's Founders, make the individual citizen the centerpiece of our election process.

Simply put, we can tie the use of campaign donations to community service. For example, if a Georgia candidate raises a $100 donation, the candidate must also raise 1 hour of community service to utilize that $100. I like this concept because many average Georgians can't afford political donations of $100, $500 or $1000, yet, that same Georgian, participating in just a few hours of community service a month, can, by year's end, earn his/her candidate(s) the equivalent of $4000 in campaign contributions. Similarly, huge donations from a PAC or a corporation would be unusable until the candidate convinces those holding Community Service Hours (CSH) to donate hours, thereby releasing the campaign dollars for use.



Georgia's "Made With 100% Legal Labor" Program  
All products have printed on them where they are made, but Georgia can take this concept a step further and begin a program stating who makes these products. This program would be voluntary and available to any Georgia business: The State of Georgia would verify the business's legal labor status (no illegal employees) and grant permission to display "Made With 100% Legal Labor" on its product/service/business. The benefit to the business owner would be in the free market, where their product/service designated with "Made With 100% Legal Labor" would be purchased more than a similar product/service not otherwise designated. 

Georgia's Electric Grid Buy-Back Program

Many states and countries around the world mandate that electricity providers selling power to customers must also buy power from customers. It sounds simple and it is. Homes, schools, businesses, government buildings, etc., could become mini power plants, utilizing solar power for example, to make money by creating electricity and selling it back to the power company. While this would be great for the average Georgian and create thousands of jobs in Georgia's alternative energy industries, the power company would hate it. So, at the bare minimum, an electricity buy-back program should be enacted for all government buildings and schools.

Georgia's S.O.L.A.R. Program

This program would be a simple tax break for home builders who choose to build homes in accordance with the S.O.L.A.R. program. The builder's home would have to utilize a South Oriented Low Angle Roof (SOLAR) which is necessary for maximum roof-top solar panel (PV) efficiency. This program would give a boost to home building in Georgia while also creating more 'solar ready' homes.

Some may call me an idealist - it is important that candidates and office holders remain grounded in legislative reality - but there's nothing wrong with a Georgia House Representative thinking out-of-the-box and creatively, crafting game-changing policies directly benefiting the people. Can 'Big Ideas' become law? It depends on who we elect.

Georgia Jobs, The American Worker and Globalization

The globalized marketplace is redefining the average American worker. Not long ago, the American worker enjoyed stable, well paying jobs that afforded a home, sending a kid or two to college, a comfortable retirement, the occasional family vacation and even a few luxuries. All without the dependent use of the credit card. However, in the few short years since the birth of globalization (global computer networks, satellites, efficient international sea trade, etc.) in the late 90's, the American worker has seen once dependable jobs evacuate to South America, South Asia and various third-world nations where labor is super cheap and regulation is sparse. As the US and the global marketplace begin to emerge from the worldwide economic recession, a major question for the US moving forward is: Where does the American Worker fit into the globalized workforce?

Compared to other international workforces, especially in the manufacturing sector, the American worker has a high standard of living, possibly too high to compete for the jobs that have already left our nation. As the US desperately tries to revive hiring and lower unemployment, rather than cutting taxes on corporations and the top 2% of wealthiest Americans (and hoping jobs will be created), states and the US government should be investing in the expansion of the United States' alternative energy industries and infrastructure. Environmental issues aside, the alternative energy industries, such as solar, wind, bio-fuels, recycling and natural gas, are American industries and can provide good jobs to the American worker.

Creating a solar powered, electric highway in the Georgia (like Washington state is doing) can't be outsourced to South America. The work must be done in Georgia. Developing wind farms off the coast of Georgia must be completed off the coast of Georgia, not South Asia. Growing plants for fuel can easily be done by Georgia farmers and utilized in Georgia vehicles, not grown halfway around the world and shipped in to our state. Even though some of the alternative energy components, such as solar panels and wind turbines, will be made overseas, the installation process must be completed within the US and will create jobs. With minimal government incentives, however, the American worker can compete for the component manufacturing process as these jobs are skill positions, require an educated workforce and can be assembled close to the installation site.  

And we don't need to wait for the Federal government to give these industries a jump start in Georgia. With the right leadership in Georgia's government, we can benefit from the 21st century alternative energy industry: good jobs that can't be outsourced overseas. Even though the American worker is being redefined by the globalized marketplace, with the right state leadership, Georgia can create jobs in the alternative energy industry and cause a surge of well paying jobs for Georgians.

What's Wrong With Politics?

Hi Friends,

This guy's what's wrong with politics. He just earned his invitation to the crazy fringe of the Tea Party.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMgyi57s-A4&feature=player_embedded#  (YouTube link)

Could you imagine working for this guy? Could you imagine working with this guy? How could he get anything accomplished in public office? There's too much histrionics in politics and government. Let's elect public servants who are sensible and bi-partisan so Georgia's government can work for the people.

Oh, yeah... this guy also has a Masters Degree... in Communication. Priceless.

A Politician or Public Servant?

Hello Friends,

Election season is upon us, and the voters of State House District 163 have a clear choice: One candidate is a special interest political insider who's using Barack Obama and national healthcare policy to win partisan votes. The other candidate wants to bring LOCAL prosperity to the 163rd... wants to work with State legislators (Republican and Democrat)... wants to create a 21st century Georgia. Guess which candidate I am...

Friends, what it comes down to is focus. What will your Representative be focusing on? While I agree that national healthcare policy is a very important and polarizing issue, a Junior State Representative from Chatham County, Georgia has no say in this national policy matter. If Ben Watson, who is a physician, wants to affect national healthcare policy, running for Georgia's State House was the wrong move. Possibly, he should have ran for Federal Representative (he could ask his brother-in-law Jack Kingston how to do that) or he could have run for Federal Senate (he's got plenty of money and backing from special interests groups to do that, too.)

Frankly, national healthcare aside, Ben Watson would have a full plate just focusing on Georgia's healthcare problems: deficient trauma and mental illness infrastructure, Georgia's uninsured children, our state's youth obesity epidemic, our diabetes epidemic, general poor performance in disease prevention, unacceptably high hospital infection rates, just to name a few major issues (see Savannah Morning News editorial link 1 and editorial link 2). It saddens me to know that my opponent chooses to focus on being "anti-Obamacare" to win partisan votes, rather than utilizing his medical expertise to address local and statewide health issues. Friends, Georgia is in bad shape right now, not just with healthcare, and we don't need our local House Representative going on some partisan, political adventure against the Federal government.

We have a lot of work to do in the 163rd:  creating local jobs, enacting local small business tax freezes, lowering our local crime rate, helping to better our local education system, protecting our local waters, beaches and wetlands, fixing local public transit and so much more. Statewide issues abound as well: jobs, taxes, poor healthcare infrastructure, transportation, water security, port security, returning Vets, energy, education, our economy...the list seems to go on and on. In my opinion, if partisan politics could be abandoned, Georgia's communities and public servants could come together with creative ideas and bi-partisan policies and effectively lead Georgia in a 21st century direction. However, to move forward, we must first reject partisan politicians and elect public servants with real policies.

The next House legislative session is crucial to our future. If Georgia's Legislators backslide into Liberal vs. Conservative gridlock, it will be incredibly costly to taxpayers, it will tell the business community that Georgia can't accomplish anything politically and it will create zero solutions when the 163rd and Georgia so desperately need some simple, sensible solutions. Yes, national policies are important and serious. They can be fun to talk about, argue about and maybe even, for some, blow off a little steam. However, now's the time for our local elected officials to put political differences aside and work in our own communities and in our own state. Let's get the 163rd and the state of Georgia prosperous, healthy and our children fully prepared for the future. In this process, we will be doing our part, as a state, to help our nation become, once again, prosperous, healthy and successful in the 21st century.

Friends, it's about focus.

On November 2, a vote for Jeremy Scheinbart is a vote for a public servant squarely focused on bi-partisanship, informed citizens and  working together to find simple, sensible solutions for problems that face the 163rd and Georgia.      

Or, you can send Jack Kingston's brother-in-law up to Atlanta so he can shout toward Washington, D.C. ...

Thank you for your time and fair consideration. More to come soon...


Jeremy