Our presentation this morning will be about a half hour, followed by a Question and Answer session for those interested.

The Georgia Heritage Coalition is reflective of Georgia descendants dating back to the earliest colonists to the present day.

It is estimated there are around THREE MILLION descendants in Georgia today who fall in the heritage community. Of these, over one million are voter eligible, and more than a half million vote regularly.

I would like to say they are all in heritage organizations and vote together as a block. They aren't, and they don't. The good news is when descendants are motivated by issues, they do vote, and the voting block represents one of the largest blocks of voters in Georgia. Recent elections where issues have moved these descendants to the polls have produced 250,000 to 300,000 voters who are uninhibited about crossing party lines.

The results are documented by case after case where highly favored candidates for high office have been upset and removed from office by this overlooked consortium of heritage motivated voters.

Common issues bring this significant block together. Heritage organizations motivate their interest and sometimes their anger.

That's what we're here for today....to introduce Campaign 2004 and the issues that most concern and inspire us in the heritage movement to once again join together in a consolidated effort to elect people in July and November who will be more friendly to those of us who cherish our history, our culture and our heritage.

Joining in this effort are some folks and some groups they belong to which together equal the unified heritage movement in Georgia. I'm going to ask these folks to stand as I recognize them. They will all be available for questions and comments at the close of our session. Take a good look at them and feel free to meet with any of them as we conclude today.....
{{introductions....}}

We also have some announced candidates for legislative offices with us today. These folks are heritage supporters and will join others of like mind in the General Assembly in the formation and activation of The Heritage Caucus, a project of the Georgia Heritage Coalition.

For Senate District 51, to replace retiring Senator Carol Jackson, from Morganton, in Fannin County, Mike Crane, of the Southern Party.....

Of all the years I have observed Georgia politics which includes a close up view as Chairman of the Georgia State Republican Campaign Committee when competitive two party politics was first established, I must say this year, 2004, is the most interesting in my memory. It is so impacted by redistricting, party switches and retirements you need a program to keep up with the players. I'm not sure that will solve the problem either. The players keep changing the colors of their jerseys, and the numbers on the jerseys are not the same as they were last time around. It's takes more than a program to follow the players, both we and they need a new district map.

2004 will be the year when the most significant changes in our legislature will take place. Many seats in both houses will be filled with newcomers. Already, before the first vote is cast, we know there will be serious leadership changes.

We might liken what we're seeing to the old childhood game, UPSET THE PEACH BASKET.

That brings us to the Georgia Heritage Coalition Campaign 2004. This is a platform of ten planks that we are offering all or parts of to candidates of all parties on a non partisan basis. It will be used by present office holders who seek a change of direction, and it will be used by challengers to upset the status quo and bring about more accent on basic constitutional values and less on political correctness, waste, and large central government.

Our goal at GHC is to offer help and assistance to candidates who support the planks of Campaign 2004. We want to see our legislature balance the needs of all of the people of Georgia and de-emphasize the strong tilt which has placed economic and cultural favoritism to downtown Atlanta and away from the people in the majority of our state who, in my personal view, are getting the shaft from recent legislatures. Many of the shafted throughout Georgia don't know it was their own state representative or senator that did them in. We plan to help them find out.

In our position paper [link below] you will note we are critical of the access and influence that the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce has developed in all levels of state government.

We NOT against chambers of commerce. How could I be anti-chamber when I served on the board of directors of the Georgia State Chamber of Commerce, was Chamber Member of the Year in one of the largest chambers in the country, and was state president of the then 8,000 member Georgia Junior Chamber of Commerce?

We ARE opposed to chambers that insist on funding expensive pet local projects with state money furnished by taxpayers throughout the state. It is patently unfair for the folks in Hahira or Yatesville or Willicoochee to pay for facilities like Atlanta sewerage, or a lavish new headquarters for the Atlanta Symphony which recently went into competition with tax paying free enterprise companies when it paid more than a million dollars for a telemarketing company.

The planks in the Campaign 2004, Downtown Atlanta Vs. Georgia are....

The gist of the remainder of the program is summarized in the two links found below:

Georgia vs. Downtown Atlanta: Overview

Georgia vs. Downtown Atlanta: The Issues

More specific information about particular General Assembly races for 2004 including targeted heritage-opponents and candidates we support will be found on the "CAMPAIGN 2004" link above in the near future.

Jeff Davis
Chairman, Georgia Heritage Coalition