James January-February 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 4
P U B L I S H E R ’ S M ES SAG E
ECONOMY REFLECTIONS . . . AND IT’S GENERAL ASSEMBLY TIME
here’s good news coming
in 2025. For those who have
struggled over the past four
years with the bad economy typified by
inflationary prices, help is on the way. It
won’t be an overnight turnaround, but
hopefully by this time next year Georgians and all Americans will witness
the results of a rebounding economy
under President Donald Trump because of three big policy changes.
First, Trump and his DOGE operation spearheaded by Elon Musk and
Vivek Ramaswamy will identify and
slash economy-crushing overregulation that keep all too many businesses
from operating at full strength. Second, the Trump administration will
give certainty regarding taxes— and
the financial markets and businesses
need it. Once assured of tax stability,
they can plan for years to come and
confidently move forward. Finally,
there’s an energy reliability plan-essential because every economic
sector is dependent on energy.
Unleashing of our vast oil and
gas resources will cause energy costs
to quickly drop— thus ensuring a
reduction in prices on almost everything. By exploiting those oil and gas
resources, the U.S. can also supply
many foreign countries with those
critical resources that will help reduce
our national debt. And millions of
Georgians are fortunate to have Georgia Power as a producer that is not
only a reliable electricity provider but
also a resilient one. In this context,
I recommend to readers CEO Kim
Greene’s Hurricane Helene column.
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JAMES
JANUA RY/F E BRUA RY 2 02 5
blessed with a $16.5 billion surplus
Our state’s 2024 report on reserves
and revenue shows Georgia has a record balance of cash on hand: A general fund surplus of $16.5 billion. A large
portion is undesignated, meaning those
funds can be spent at the discretion of
the governor and General Assembly.
Furthermore, lottery reserves-- which
fund higher education and pre-K— have
reached a record $2.4 billion, up from
$2.2 billion in 2023.
What Gov. Brian Kemp and predecessor Nathan Deal have done by
fostering a big “rainy day” surplus translates into Georgia having an enviable
Triple-A bond rating— thus giving it
the ability to finance projects at a low
interest rate. It really sets Georgia up for
continued prosperity for the long run.
key priorities ranging from tort reform
to enhancing public safety. In this vein
we present two columns on partisan
priorities, one is by GOP House Majority
Leader Chuck Efstration and the other
by Democrat Senate Minority Leader
Harold Jones. Education is always a
major legislative issue (and a topic covered in every James) so columnist Kyle
Wingfield gives us a preview of what
to expect during the legislative session
that begins January 13th.
James often features various Georgia regions, counties and cities and this
time the spotlight shines on growing
Cherokee County and its major cities.
The Battery and Truist Park in Cobb
County is an amazing place, so staff
writer Cindy Morley gives a report on
the latest happenings there. Additionally, Savannah/Hilton Head International
Airport Executive Director Greg Kelly
provides an update on progress at our
state’s second largest airport.
As for politics, our own Matt Towery did extensive polling in Georgia
and other key states during the 2024
presidential campaign. Check out his
analysis of why former President Donald Trump won the presidency again.
Space doesn’t permit me to recommend other timely articles. At any rate,
our James team especially appreciates
the support of our growing readership
and advertisers. We wish all a happy
and prosperous 2025.
The General Assembly & other topics
The 161st General Assembly
will feature the governor pushing for
passage of his budget, as well as for his
PHIL KENT CEO & PUB L I S H E R
The implementation of those three
Trump economic priorities will jumpstart our entire economy— as well as
have a positive impact on the personal
finances of just about everyone. It
means good job growth as businesses
press forward with confidence, creating opportunities for people to move
out of mediocre jobs supplemented by
additional part-time jobs.
There’s reason for hope. By this
time next year the personal finances
of far more Americans should be on
a major upswing with more people
enjoying economic blessings!
