A bigger issue

Just to follow up on Flack's point regarding the state's share of education spending ... it seems to me that this is part of a grand plan is to compel the local school boards to cut spending. The problem, of course, is that local school boards recognize the struggles they face on a daily basis in terms of resources, infrastructure and the like, thus necessitating their intent to fully fund their schools through property tax increases.

This refusal - rightly so I might add - to bow to budget slashing fever has prompted the

So, in turn, the state government wants local communities to take a more active role in managing its schools (that was one of the governor's central campaign themes in 2002). However, when the local communities respond by determining that full funding is necessary and cuts to public education shouldn't be made, thus resulting in increased millage rates ... the state government wants to take authority away from local communities by proposing things like restricting property assessment values or elminating the property tax (and having revenues raised by a regressive sales tax that would funnelled to Atlanta for dispersement to local communities).

The crux of the problems confronting the state government the past six years isn't so much assigned to one particular problem. What it is, however, is a rebellion by local communities against the ruling party in state government who initially aimed to give said communities more authority, but simply didn't like what those communities did with it.