Corruption is now the norm for Republicans. Read this, the last line is particularily galling. Please support Mark Taylor. The South is now so taken for granted that corrupt officials like Perdue are openly laughing at the voters.
Three minutes, one tax bill, $100,000 for Perdue.
The Georgia House had been passing legislation for almost 12 hours on the second-to-last day of the 2005 session when Rep. Larry O'Neal stepped to the podium and asked colleagues to pass a seemingly mundane tax bill requested by the state Department of Revenue.
He mentioned a last-minute change, which would make the tax break retroactive to land sales made in 2004.
It was hard to tell how many House members were paying attention. After 39 days of debating hundreds of pieces of legislation, the lawmakers were fading despite the bolstering effects of enough coffee and Diet Coke to caffeinate a small South Georgia town.
But in a back corner, Rep. Don Wix (D-Mableton), who owns a real estate business, took note. Such retroactive tax changes are rare.
Wix chuckled with back-bench seat mates about the backdated tax break.
I wonder who that one is for? Wix asked.
O'Neal quickly left the podium -- ignoring a question that was asked as he stepped away -- and House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) ordered a vote. In 44 seconds, 154 House members passed the bill -- including its retroactive tax cut -- without dissent.
And just like that, Gov. Sonny Perdue saved an estimated $100,000 in state taxes.
"It was so obvious the way it was written that it was slid in there in a way where it would be considered at the busiest time," she said. "I accepted what was said from the well. I recognized it probably was a tax bill for somebody."
THE WORST PART.
But Perdue did reply when a caller on a radio talk show asked him last month, "The one thing I haven't been able to do is find a way to have a friend of mine write me a bill that saves me a $100,000 on my taxes. I was wondering how I might be able to get that done."
"Well, you get elected governor," Perdue replied.