By state Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg)

The current economic situation has energized a renewed focus on the fundamental role of government in the daily lives of its citizens. Government should be able to demonstrate to taxpayers that their tax dollars are justified and that they are spent wisely and effectively.

by Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson

Thrift used to be a virtue in America. In Asia, thrift remains a way of life — for example, it is estimated that the average Chinese family’s thrift rate is 30 to 40 percent — which helps explain the rapid growth rates there.

By Sean Wilson

As Georgia continues to grow and thrive, it needs power generation capable of sustaining that growth. But the options seem to be shrinking among the body politic for varying environmental, economic and aesthetic reasons.

In the 2008 legislative session, four years after the passage of HB 237, the “Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Planning Act,” state lawmakers approved the framework for the comprehensive statewide water plan.

By MARK LINVILLE

My family moved to Fayetteville from Northfield, Minnesota in 1997.

Now, Northfield has always boasted a diverse population, and has had few problems with hostilities among the different people groups abiding there.

By Laura Mazer

[Editor’s note: Tony Snow wrote a nationally syndicated opinion column for Creators Syndicate from 1993 to 2000. He resumed his column in spring 2005 and continued it until joining the Bush administration as press secretary in April 2006. Laura Mazer was the managing editor of Creators Syndicate, and was Tony’s editor and friend for many years. He appeared as one of The Citizen’s syndicated columnists for several years.]

By ELLIE WHITE-STEVENS

This Republican primary I’m working with 10 of our candidates on their advertising. Some of them chose to answer The Citizen’s questions for the online forum, some did not. While I’ve had my say in a lot of their advertising strategy, I’d like to approach them, and the other candidates, with some media advice from a professional.

By Dr. Tracy C. Miller

An Indian government official recently criticized the Bush administration for blaming the growing middle classes of developing countries, such as India and China, for rising food prices. Although he may have misinterpreted the president’s remarks, his and other Indian critics’ responses are worth thinking about.

By Ed Sherwood

With the approach of Memorial Day, I have been thinking a lot about my uncle who died in World War II. I was born in 1945 and do not remember learning about his death until I was 10 years old.

By Keith Lockitch

On the evening of Saturday, March 29, cities around the world turned off their lights for one hour to “raise” awareness about global warming. In observation of Earth Hour, iconic landmarks such as the Sears Tower and the Sydney Opera House went dark, while participating individuals turned off residential lights.

By Larry Pratt

April 16 was the anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre. We have heard about the need to keep guns out of the hands of bad guys. Of course, that means more gun control.

By SHELDON RICHMAN

When a private company screws up, there is no shortage of people demanding more government intrusion in the marketplace. But when the government screws up, they don’t call for less government. They call for more.

By Dr. Harold Brown

Our culture makes the simplest problems complex and the simplest solutions expensive. None seem simpler than the cause of obesity and its cure, but nutritionists, psychologists, government and popular culture have made its cure both a complex science and mystical mission.

By Rich Lynch

With the Supreme Court’s decision to examine the constitutionality of D.C.’s gun ban, the nation once again turns to an intense examination of the wording of the Second Amendment.

By Dr. Marvin Folkertsma

They swoon, they faint, they genuflect, they take pictures, scribble notes, cheer until their voices sound like Darth Vader with a cold, and clap until their fingers explode from their hands like short bursts from an assault rifle. And those are just the reporters. Alright, maybe reporters don’t act that way at a Barack Obama rally — of course, who knows what they’re thinking? In the meantime, the rest of the crowd bellows its enthusiasm for change.

Rep. Virgil Fludd

Thursday, Feb. 14 was the 17th legislative day of the 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly. The first four weeks have been full of action.

By Senator RONNIE CHANCE

We are well into the 2008 legislative session now, and we have finished 14 days of the required 40 legislative days of business. The pace is increasing daily as senators and representatives introduce new bills, meet in committee, and debate and vote on legislation in chamber.

By Dr. Mark Hendrickson

Let’s consider a simple question: What exactly are we electing when we choose a president of the United States? The traditional answer would be: “Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces and the CEO of the executive branch of government.”

[Provided by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation]

The following are excerpts from an interview with the Honorable Clarence Thomas, an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1991, about his new book: “My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir.”

Three preachers were having lunch at the local diner, when one said, “You know, I’m having a lot of trouble with bats in the church attic. I’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to scare them off.”

There is something more than a little bizarre with the latest Washington feeding frenzy over Sen. Larry Craig.

Don’t get me wrong. I think what Sen. Craig did in the men’s bathroom in Minneapolis was gross and sleazy. But is it really worthy of the press attention it has received this week?

By CAL THOMAS

Belfast, Northern Ireland — Twenty-five years ago, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher forcefully and decisively ordered British troops to the Falkland Islands to liberate them from an invading Argentine force. It was a military and political triumph widely supported by the public, leading to conservative victories at the polls for another 15 years.

It's a conspiracy against the American people, I tell you, a conspiracy plain and simple to keep us all fat.

It’s happening in some grocery stores around this state — right in front of the most helpless of us — our children. Yes, sir. It's true, and most of us are going about our daily lives, oblivious to the insidious goings-on around us.

By BENITA DODD

The Water Council has gone public across Georgia, holding town hall meetings to present to the public its draft policy recommendations on managing the state’s water quantity.

Busy-ness, appointments, and the heat conspired to keep us home from the lake this spring and summer.

The heat was the real villain. It?s tolerable while the boat is moving, since we’re inside. We get a little breeze while under way, and the tinted windows reflect heat and sunlight.

Gregory K. Moffatt, Ph.D. June 2006

My oldest child is preparing to leave home and now that she is an adult, I've thought a lot about the most important things I've tried to teach her.

Randy Dewberry, a retired nuclear engineer, and his wife are down to the wire. He writes:

It was now 2 o’clock and the puppies were to be there by 3. I reached into the pen with the idea I would choose the first one that came to me. They all came at the same time. Grab one, any one, I told myself.

By WARREN THROCKMORTON

This Christmas season is just getting stranger as we go.

All over the place people are trying to figure out what to say to each other (“Happy holiday(s),” “Merry Christmas,” “Get out of my way, I want that iPod”) and how to talk about the time of year we are in. I tried just saying Happy December to a few people and they just rolled their eyes. I agree; it didn’t do much for me either.

By JOHN W. WHITEHEAD

“Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread, and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.” — Mother Teresa