Atlanta Chat Thread (Valdosta, Gray: gated, restaurant, club)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

For the college football fanatics in our college football-obsessed region, bowl season starts today with five matchups.

Sports publication Yardbarker has compiled a list of the 8 most important players in today's opening round of college football bowl games...

"8 most important players for Saturday's bowl games" (Yardbarker)

And here is a link to the entire 2018-19 college football playoff and bowl schedule, courtesy of ESPN:
2018-19 College Football Playoff and bowl schedule (ESPN)

The 2018-19 college football playoff and bowl season actually starts with the annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl today at noon in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Downtown Atlanta.

The Celebration Bowl annually matches up the winners of the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) and the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) is regarded as being the 'Super Bowl' of Black College Football.

The winner of the game will be recognized as the Black College Football National Champions.

https://www.thecelebrationbowl.com/

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

One thing I do love about Texas that I wish the metro area of Atlanta would care about a little more is street lighting... they light up their roads nicely.

Agreed.

The lights that they have been added on 285 at Flat Shoals Road should be done to all of 285. No reasons that road should be so dark at night.

Same for the tower lights at the various interchanges like they have at 285/20 on the east side..

[Born 2 Roll]

The fourth annual Celebration Bowl was completed on Saturday afternoon with the MEAC Champion North Carolina A&T Aggies beating the SWAC Champion Alcorn State Braves 24-22 in a close and thrilling contest in Mercedes-Benz Stadium to kick off the 2018 college football bowl and playoff season.

The North Carolina A&T Aggies' 2018 Celebration Bowl victory was their second in a row and their third in the first four years of the existence of the event.

(The North Carolina A&T Aggies also won the Celebration Bowl in 2017 and 2015.)

The North Carolina A&T Aggies' 2018 Celebration Bowl victory makes them back-to-back Black College Football National Champions and makes the Aggies Black College Football National Champions for the third time in the last four years and for the seventh time overall in the history of their program.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution posted a photo gallery of the event...

Photos: Atlanta hosts the Celebration Bowl (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

[Born 2 Roll]

In his weekly column for the Dublin Courier Herald, Georgia political website GeorgiaPol.com editor Charlie Harper writes that, out of a motivation for survival in a state where once-downtrodden Democrats appear to be rising towards future parity and seemingly even towards future contention in state politics, the Georgia Senate Republican caucus changes for once by deciding last week at the Biennial hosted by the Carl Vincent Institute at the University of Georgia not to make changes to that chamber's power structure.

The Georgia Senate GOP caucus was very seriously considering stripping incoming Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan of some of his key powers over the chamber.

Harper writes that the Georgia Senate Republican caucus appears to have been comforted by Lt. Governor-elect Duncan's choice of well-known and trusted staff members, like:

> Duncan's chief-of-staff, Chip Lake (who was a member of both Lt. Gov.-elect Duncan's and outgoing Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's election campaigns, and is also a former chief-of-staff for former Georgia Congressman Lynn Westmoreland)…

> Duncan's policy director Mike Dungeon (who is a former member of the Georgia House who is respected by both wonkish establishment types and movement conservatives alike)…

> Duncan's deputy chief-of-staff, John Porter (who was the campaign manager for Karen Handel during her successful congressional special election campaign in June 2017, and who has a good understanding of the rapidly shifting politics of the North Atlanta suburbs that have been key to the last 16 years of Republican dominance of Georgia politics).

"Georgia Senate Changes By Not Changing" (GeorgiaPol.com/Dublin Courier Herald)

[Born 2 Roll]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that lobbyists spent big during the five-day special session of the Georgia General Assembly back in November.

Last month’s special session of the General Assembly cost the state about $40,000 a day to pay lawmakers, but taxpayers weren’t the only ones stuck with a bill.

Lobbyists spent about $20,000 during the five-day session in mid-November, mostly for feeding lawmakers and their staffers, according to a review by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Lobbyists for Delta Airlines appeared to be the biggest spenders during the November Georgia General Assembly special session... Something which is very understandable because Delta Airlines had some very important business in front of the legislature in the form of the jet fuel tax cut... A jet fuel tax cut that had become a political football in recent years during disagreements on high-profile social issues (like guns and Religious Liberty) between Delta's outspoken socially liberal corporate leadership and the Georgia General Assembly's deeply socially-conservative legislative leadership.

Conservative lawmakers in Georgia's Republican legislative majority punished Delta Airlines in the 2015 session of the Georgia General Assembly by originally taking away the fuel tax exemption as payback for Delta's outspoken opposition to the highly-controversial Religious Liberty legislation that was being pushed by hard-line social conservatives in the legislature at that time.

Conservative lawmakers in Georgia's Republican legislative majority again punished Delta Airlines in the 2018 session of the Georgia General Assembly when outgoing Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle notably openly opposed the fuel tax exemption as payback for Delta discontinuing NRA (National Rifle Association) discounts in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida school shooting massacre... So Delta Airlines had every incentive to have the lobbying muscle that they thought would be required to make sure that the fuel tax cut passed into Georgia state law during the November special session.

"Lobbyists spend big feeding lawmakers during Georgia’s special session" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that lobbyists spent big during the five-day special session of the Georgia General Assembly back in November.


Lobbyists for Delta Airlines appeared to be the biggest spenders during the November Georgia General Assembly special session... Something which is very understandable because Delta Airlines had some very important business in front of the legislature in the form of the jet fuel tax cut... A jet fuel tax cut that had become a political football in recent years during disagreements on high-profile social issues (like guns and Religious Liberty) between Delta's outspoken socially liberal corporate leadership and the Georgia General Assembly's deeply socially-conservative legislative leadership.

Conservative lawmakers in Georgia's Republican legislative majority punished Delta Airlines in the 2015 session of the Georgia General Assembly by originally taking away the fuel tax exemption as payback for Delta's outspoken opposition to the highly-controversial Religious Liberty legislation that was being pushed by hard-line social conservatives in the legislature at that time.

Conservative lawmakers in Georgia's Republican legislative majority again punished Delta Airlines in the 2018 session of the Georgia General Assembly when outgoing Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle notably openly opposed the fuel tax exemption as payback for Delta discontinuing NRA (National Rifle Association) discounts in the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida school shooting massacre... So Delta Airlines had every incentive to have the lobbying muscle that they thought would be required to make sure that the fuel tax cut passed into Georgia state law during the November special session.

"Lobbyists spend big feeding lawmakers during Georgia’s special session" (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The big spending by lobbyists during November's special session of the Georgia General Assembly is also notable because lobbyist spending had become a really big (almost overwhelming) problem in the past.

Lobbyist spending on lawmakers particularly became a really major problem during the second term of former Governor Sonny Perdue's administration when former Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson resigned in 2009 after attempting to commit suicide after his wife divorced him after finding out that he was having an affair with a female lobbyist for Atlanta Gas Light.

This was during an era (in the late 2000's) when lobbyist spending had helped to create a culture of entitlement amongst legislators under the Gold Dome... A culture of entitlement amongst legislators that reached levels of extreme debauchery at times.

During that era, the Georgia Legislature basically had become an adult version of an "Animal House" type of fraternity with the type of lobbyist spending-fueled debauchery that was going on in some key circles in the Capitol at that time.

[AnsleyPark]

I wish you all peace and prosperity in 2019.

[back2atl]

Hey folks! Looking for thoughts on Perdido Key vs 30A (Seagrove Beach, etc) for a family beach week.

Specifically, oceanfront condos. For a family with 2 toddlers.

We’ve loved Seagrove Beach, but the oceanfront condos with good pools are limited and a little shabby. Considering the newer condos at Perdido Key. Like Indigo.

Priorities
1. On the beach! With chair rental service.
2. Nice pool
3. Clean condo
4. Some restaurants nearby (will mostly cook)

Any insights? I’ve been tempted by Perdido Key for a couple years but have never been. We keep it pretty low key for beach week, mostly at the beach, pool and in the condo.

[Iconographer]

I like both areas, but I tend to gravitate towards lower density resort development; 30A has that; Perdido, not so much. I've always liked the funky, laid-back vibe in Seagrove and Grayton, and the wonderful New Urbanist community of Seaside really set the bar for future development along 30A (Rosemary Beach, Watercolor, Alys Beach, etc).
Wonderful place. 30A easily makes my Top 5 for FL resort destinations.

[back2atl]

Originally Posted by Iconographer

I like both areas, but I tend to gravitate towards lower density resort development; 30A has that; Perdido, not so much. I've always liked the funky, laid-back vibe in Seagrove and Grayton, and the wonderful New Urbanist community of Seaside really set the bar for future development along 30A (Rosemary Beach, Watercolor, Alys Beach, etc).
Wonderful place. 30A easily makes my Top 5 for FL resort destinations.

Thanks! Agreed, that’s what’s brought us to 30A year after year.