Home Governmental Affairs GA Rep. Amos Amerson 11-13-09 - Celebrating Veterans' Day is special in the Amerson family
11-13-09 - Celebrating Veterans' Day is special in the Amerson family
For immediate release -- November 13, 2009

Celebrating Veterans' Day is special in the Amerson family

Celebrating Veterans’ Day has always been important to my family.  Four of my mother’s brothers and three of my dad’s brothers-in-law served in WWII.  Two uncles served in Korea.  Along with me, a half-dozen of my cousins served in Vietnam.  After that I quit keeping count.

This year’s celebrations started on Saturday with a memorial service at the grave of William P. Price, founder of North Georgia Agricultural College which most of you know as NGCSU.  Over the past year Camp 1860 Sons of the Confederate Veterans and NGCSU cadets had renovated the grave site in preparation for adding a Southern Cross of Honor.  The project was spearheaded by Tim Ragland, Commander of Dahlonega’s SCV Camp 1860.  On November 11, The Dahlonega Nugget ran a wonderful, full-color story about the ceremony.

On very short notice, I was asked to say a few words.  Luckily, Anne had asked me to proof her article on Colonel Price which will appear in the spring issue of Georgia Backroads, so I had plenty of material to speak about. 

The guest of honor and primary speaker was William Craig, great grandson of Colonel Price.  There was a 21-gun salute by the NGCSU Blue Ridge Rifles Drill Team and prayers were rendered by Dr. Paul Bellino, Chaplain of SCV Camp 1860.

Veterans' Day dawned cloudy and rainy so the ceremony was moved into the Lumpkin County High School gymnasium.  I want to commend the students for such a great job well done.  The featured speaker was Representative Nathan Deal, our 9th District Congressman.  He gave a moving history of veterans fighting to preserve America's freedom.

Congressman Deal related that he truly enjoyed representing Lumpkin County, because we are "the heart of patriotism in North Georgia."  He praised the NGCSU Cadet Corps for being the Nations top ROTC unit.  Additionally, he commended LCHS and LCMS on their JROTC programs.
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Next stop was the Dawson County Veterans’ Celebration with a free lunch at the Middle School for all veterans.  Following lunch, there was a parade though Dawsonville ending back at the school.  The Dawsonville Veterans' Day Parade is posted on You Tube.  

The program recognized all of the veterans with special recognition for Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star ladies.  The keynote speaker was Major Jason Swain from the NGCSU Military Department.  Major Swain stated that the greatest gift we can give to veterans is not to waste the lives and freedoms they have fought to protect.

Colonel Bill Cain, also a member of the Dahlonega Lions Club, represented the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee and paid special tribute to Sgt Christopher Goodwin and his family.  Sgt Goodwin's young son related how hard it is to be a soldier's son.  He was followed by his grandmother and mother who spoke on being a soldier's mother and wife.  Sgt Goodwin then thanked the community for its support of his family.

Rafael Picklesimer opened the program with the National Anthem.  Later he sang "God Bless the USA" and closed the ceremony with his stirring rendition of "Taps."   I always enjoy listening to Rafael.

We had a healthcare conference at the Capitol on Tuesday hosted by the Georgia Health Care Association.  The presentations and discussions centered on the reductions in Medicaid reimbursements, especially since October 1 when new federal guidelines went into effect.  Five Georgia nursing homes have declared bankruptcy in the past six weeks.

The Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) met Tuesday night at Southern Catholic University.  With the recent release of Georgia’s dismal October revenue report, neither Senator Pearson nor I could offer much encouragement to the commissioners.  The year-to-date comparison of the FY 2009 Budget with FY 2010 shows we are on track for a $2.5 to $3.0 billion budget deficit, somewhere between an 18% - 20% shortfall.

On Friday (the 13th), I was once again at the Capitol for Appropriation Committee pre-session discussions of the proposed K-12 budgets.  The Governor is in the process of putting together an Amended FY 2010 Budget as well as the FY 2011 Budget.  Until he makes a final decision, our discussions are based on the Department of Education (DOE) proposals.  These pre-session discussions with DOE will allow us to make more informed decisions once the session begins.

During these challenging economic times, we Legislators must re-double our efforts to get more bang for the fewer bucks we have to service your needs.  That’s why most of us spend so much time between sessions in serious committee work at the Capitol. 

In less than eight weeks the new Legislative Session begins in January.  Let me know your legislative needs as soon as you can.  I can be reached at 689 N. Chestatee Street, Dahlonega, Georgia 30533; 706/864-6589; e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Or you can contact Gerald Lewy, my Communications Director, at 706/344-7788.  He’ll know how to get your message to me.  Remember, the secret of good government is a well-informed electorate.

For more information contact:                     
Gerald Lewy                                 
Communications Director
House District 9 – Amerson
471 Cloudland Road
Dahlonega, Georgia 30533
Phone/fax: 706/864-4613
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 

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