Dr. Edwards finds something fishy about the state's priorities

There were snickers across the state when Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue announced a major plank of his economic development strategy: a $19 million project to make the state the most popular fishing destination in the country.

Unswayed, the administration recently began construction on a $14 million "Go Fish Georgia Center," featuring a fish hatchery, visitor's center, and public fishing ponds about 12 miles from Mr. Perdue's hometown of Bonaire. The 15,000-square-foot building will feature interactive exhibits, including fishing simulators where visitors in a fake boat can struggle against computer-controlled fish. Outside, a wooden path will lead visitors through simulated Georgia topography -- from mountains to piedmont to swampland -- as trout, bass and bream swim in aquariums and pools along the way.

The state Department of Education, like other state agencies, is examining how it will reduce at least 6% of its $8.2 billion budget for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends in June.

"It really makes you question the state's priorities," said Phyllis Edwards, superintendent of the City Schools of Decatur, a seven-school system just east of Atlanta. Because of cuts that by 2010 could take as much as $2 million from a current budget of $37 million, the school may have to terminate a Spanish program for elementary students and the five teachers who staff it.

WSJ | 1/5/2009

Comments

[Cherie]

The governor has let the entire world know what his priorities are and what his level of intelligence is with the following.

(from the WSJ article) "Mr. Perdue, a veterinarian by training, is impatient with all the criticism of Go Fish. The funds were allocated before the current crisis began and the proceeds of the bonds already sold can't legally be redirected to other purposes, he said. The construction activity also will generate jobs."

He forgets that the funds for education k-12 and higher education were already allocated before the current crisis began. That didn't stop him from taking the funds from education since after all Ga. is ranked so high in the national education rankings

[MrFixIt]

I'm so embarrassed to live in Georgia. I'm going to start lying to people when we travel out of state.

Is there any hope at all to get this loser and his bubba buddies out of office?