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About Charlie Harper

Authored 385 articles.

Articles

• Charlie Harper: More Trains Means More Trucks On Georgia’s Roads

  News, January 20, 2026

• Charlie Harper: Thoughts On A Three Decade Friendship And Iran

  News, January 13, 2026

• Charlie Harper: Greene’s Resignation Has Wide Ripple Effects

  News, December 01, 2025

• Charlie Harper: Dearth of Economic Development Announcements Signals Caution

  News, November 19, 2025

• Charlie Harper: Growth Is A Choice. Change Is Not.

  News, August 26, 2025

• Charlie Harper: Tort Reform Tops Georgia’s 2025 Legislative Agenda

  News, February 06, 2025

• Charlie Harper: Take The Forecast Seriously, But Not Necessarily Literally

  News, January 21, 2025

• Charlie Harper: Georgia General Assembly Begins Work For 2025 Session

  News, January 14, 2025

• President Carter: A Life Dedicated To Giving His Best

  Features, January 08, 2025

  Former President Jimmy Carter died last week, but only after truly living for more than a century. He was a peanut farmer, a graduate of the Naval Academy, a nuclear engineer, a State Senator, Governor, and President. He was also a Sunday School teacher, humanitarian, poet, author, and holder of the Nobel Peace Prize.

• Charlie Harper: “Resistance” Is Now The Island In Politics

  News, December 18, 2024

• Charlie Harper: Time To Set That New Year New You Plan

  News, December 11, 2024

• Charlie Harper: View Christmas From An Adult Perspective And Fear Not

  News, December 03, 2024

• A New Foreign Policy Direction Awaits In The New Year

  News, November 19, 2024

• Charlie Harper: After The Election, Congress Must Work To Find Unity

  News, November 05, 2024

• Charlie Harper: Georgia’s Smaller Communities Need Post-Helene Attention Too

  News, October 02, 2024

• Charlie Harper: When Everything Seems Like Turmoil It’s Time To Step Back

  News, July 23, 2024

• Charlie Harper: Let’s Learn To Celebrate Failure To Get More Success

  News, June 11, 2024

• Charlie Harper: On Time Spent Traveling and Time Traveling

  News, May 07, 2024

• Charlie Harper: Clear Statements On International Objectives Are Needed Now

  News, April 16, 2024

• Criminal Justice Reform Pendulum Is Moving The Other Way

  News, March 19, 2024

• As Rivian Plant Delayed; State Remains Protected

  News, March 12, 2024

• Charlie Harper: It’s Not The Economy, Stupid.

  News, February 07, 2024

• Traffic: It’s Only Going To Get Worse

  News, January 12, 2024

• Christmas Begins After All The Christmas Stuff is Done

  Features, December 20, 2023

  We’re almost there. The end of the year is in sight. We’re locked in on Christmas, when most of the country slows down or stops altogether for a much needed break. Productivity will be at its annual low.

• Charlie Harper: Car Dealerships Need To Look Within To Protect Their Franchise Model

  News, December 11, 2023

  About a decade ago, Tesla was granted a loophole in Georgia’s franchise laws that allows the EV-only manufacturer the ability to bypass traditional independent auto dealers and sell directly to the public. The window that would have allowed other EV manufacturers to do the same has since closed. Newer EV companies such as Rivian, Lucid, and Fisker sell directly to consumers. There are concerns among dealers that companies such as Volkswagen will be using new wholly owned startups like their Scout division to eliminate the role their dealerships play.

• Charlie Harper: UGA Comes Up A Bit Short; Still Stands Tall

  News, December 04, 2023

• Charlie Harper: On The Passing Of First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

  News, November 28, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Giving Thanks For Our Veterans

  News, November 13, 2023

  It occurred to me when I began to contemplate this week’s column that it would be published somewhere between Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. The two very separate holidays on this month’s calendar should have a good bit of overlap. Veterans Day is, after all, a day where we give thanks and show appreciation to those who have served our country in a military uniform. Many of us have grown accustomed to saying “Thank you for your service” when we encounter a member of the armed services in uniform or someone who is identifiable as a veteran. I recently had an encounter at my gym where another member struck up a conversation by mentioning his time in Vietnam. I thanked him and said “I know you didn’t get the thanks for that when you needed it.”

• Charlie Harper: Bad News In Jobs Report Is Good News For Now

  News, November 07, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Who Would Want To Work For Us?

  News, October 10, 2023

• Georgia Grows While the UAW and the Big Three Fight

  Features, September 20, 2023

  The United Auto Workers has initiated strikes against all members of “The Big Three” U.S. automobile manufacturers, asking for 40% pay raises for union members as well as a 32-hour work week, among other demands. The path from here to the strike’s resolution is worth watching for both economic and political ramifications.

• Charlie Harper: Red Or Blue? Where is the Tipping Point?

  News, August 14, 2023

  My friend and Athens radio host Tim Bryant asked a question on his show last week, which he then extended to his Facebook followers. He wanted to know others opinion as to whether Athens Clarke County would become “more red” or neighboring Oconee County would become “more blue”.

• Charlie Harper: Debt Downgrade A Too Subtle Warning Of What Is To Come

  Features, August 07, 2023

  The research firm Fitch Ratings downgraded the quality of the United States debt last week. They’re arguably the lesser known of the three main agencies that assign letter grades to denote the likelihood a bond issuer will repay their debt.

• Charlie Harper: Go To Iowa Anyway, Governor Kemp

  News, July 25, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Summer Certaintie - Hot Weather and Property Tax Increases

  News, July 10, 2023

• Charlie Harper: About Those Infrastructure Projects? Hurry Up And Wait.

  News, June 09, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Georgia Is Building Batteries And Cars. Who Is Going To Charge Them?

  News, June 02, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Inflation Slowing, But Still At Troublesome Levels

  News, May 12, 2023

• Charlie Harper: While Congress Dodges Accountability, Those Who Are Paying More Have More To Worry About

  News, May 05, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Good Health Is About The Diet And Exercise Long Game

  News, April 28, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Economy Is In Good Shape Now, But…

  News, April 21, 2023

• With Pandemic Over, Focus Must Shift From Physical to Fiscal Health

  Features, April 14, 2023

  On April 10th, 2023, President Joe Biden signed a bill officially ending the three-year national emergency for Covid-19. The White House intends to continue the “public health emergency” until May 11th. Perhaps then, we can consider the pandemic officially over.

• Kia Production Announcement Brings GA’s EV Efforts Full Circle

  Features, April 07, 2023

  This week at the New York Auto Show, Kia officially announced that their newest EV, the Telluride sized EV9, will be built at the company’s plant in West Point Georgia. This is in addition to the 300,000 electric vehicles Kia’s corporate partner Hyundai plans to build at their Bryan County facility.

• This Week Is A Time To Reflect On What Is Next

  Features, March 31, 2023

  As someone whose annual calendar is heavily anchored in the activities of the Georgia General Assembly, the annual declaration of Sine Die for adjournment is a bit of relief. In fact, it’s quite freeing. It’s time to consider what is next.

• Georgia Legislature To Depart Leaving Three Major Questions

  Features, March 24, 2023

  The Georgia General Assembly is in its final official hours for 2023, with legislators prepared to gavel out “Sine Die” on March 29th. While this will end their 40 official business days in Atlanta for the year, it’s important to understand the real schedule of the legislature.

• Charlie Harper: Recent Bank Failures Not At All Like Last Banking Crisis

  News, March 20, 2023

• Georgia Legislature Working On Quality Of Life Issues

  Features, March 10, 2023

  Forty days of the Georgia Legislature could easily be summed up by paraphrasing Charles Dickens. It is the longest time; it is the shortest time.

• Charlie Harper: Conservation Land Faces New Development Pressures Deep in Rural Georgia

  News, March 03, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Local Governments Building Barriers To The American Dream

  News, February 27, 2023

• Charlie Harper: Working Georgians Lack Homes They Can Purchase

  News, February 10, 2023

• If You Build It They Will Come. But Where Will They Live?

  Features, February 03, 2023

  Georgia has been building a fortress economy since coming out of the great recession. “The number one state to do business” is as much of a mission statement as it is a ranking.

• Governor Kemp Sells Georgia to the World at Davos

  Features, January 20, 2023

  Why the heck was Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in Davos Switzerland this week? Some that asked that question genuinely wanted to know the answer. To many in the populist wing of the Republican party, it was more of a statement, heavy with implied derision.

• Charlie Harper: Atlanta’s Capitol Isn’t Washington’s

  Features, January 13, 2023

  I made the move to writing columns for print newspapers and online publications 12 years ago this month. The goal, then and now, was to try to bring a view of state government’s operations and workings to Georgia’s voters, citizens, and taxpayers.

• Charlie Harper: Effective Resolutions Require A Thoughtful Plan and Action

  News, January 05, 2023

  This is a time of year when we speak of resolutions. For too many of us, it’s all talk. Resolutions are often just a momentary wish that we’ll commit to intentional and specific actions to improve ourselves and our situations.

• Charlie Harper: Words Of Thanks For Doing Thankless But Necessary Work

  News, November 28, 2022

• Charlie Harper: A Belated Thank You Note To Speaker David Ralston

  Features, November 18, 2022

  David Ralston became Speaker of Georgia’s House in 2010. While most outsiders were secure in knowing that Georgia had spent the past 8 years flipping to a solidly Republican state, there were serious problems below the surface.

• At Georgia’s Capitol, The More Things Stay The Same, The More They Are Changing

  Features, November 14, 2022

  The headlines this week were all about the elections. The real news this week in Georgia politics is that Georgia House Speaker David Ralston is dealing with a significant health issue, and has set in motion the process for House members to select his successor.

• Charlie Harper: It Is Time To Prepare For Electric Vehicles

  News, October 31, 2022

• Charlie Harper: Fed Targets Cost Of Housing, But It’s Not Like 2008

  News, September 26, 2022

  The Federal Reserve has again hiked short term interest rates by three quarters of one percent. It was the third such move in as many meetings with the projection that rates will increase another full percentage point by the end of the year, a significant upward revision.

• Cheering For Greatness, On And Off The Field

  News, September 12, 2022

  The University of Georgia opened the defense of its national championship title in spectacular fashion. The University of Oregon sent their team across the country to be dismantled by a Bulldog team that sent 15 members to the NFL via the draft in the off season. Invoke the cliché about the team not rebuilding but reloading here.

• How We Work Has Changed, And Changed Us

  News, August 30, 2022

  It’s time again to celebrate Labor Day. Like many of our holidays, it’s roots and intention are often forgotten or ignored. It’s a three-day weekend, and our semi-official end of summer.

• Battery Recycling Now Part of Georgia’s EV Future

  News, August 19, 2022

  You’ve likely seen the meme shared on Facebook. It purports to be an electric car graveyard in France. There are variations on the text surrounding the photo, but the conclusion suggested is generally the same: EV’s are bad because the expensive batteries soon go bad and the cars are junked, creating new and excessive industrial waste.

• Georgia’s Record Breaking Economic Year A Result Of Planning And Focus

  Features, August 15, 2022

  This should come as no surprise, but I didn’t win the recent $1.3 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot. Neither did you unless you’re holding a ticket bought in Des Plains, Illinois at the end of July.

• Study Committees Preview 2023 Legislation and Political Battles

  Features, August 05, 2022

  The work of the Georgia General Assembly doesn’t begin in January. It’s important to remember that our legislators are officially part-time. Most have other jobs and other responsibilities they attend to the rest of the year, and juggle those the best they can when the legislature meets.

• Charlie Harper: Individual Voters Will Decide If We’re In A Recession Or Not

  News, July 29, 2022

  The United States Economy shrank .9% for the second quarter of this year, according to the Commerce Department. This follows a contraction of 1.6% in the first quarter. Economists generally consider two consecutive quarters of decline as the definition of recession.

• Objectively, Georgia Is A Fiscally Conservative State

  News, July 22, 2022

  Every year, usually during the first week the Georgia General Assembly convenes, the Governor delivers a state of the state address. It, much like the President’s State of the Union speech, is often a mix of how things are, with a heavier emphasis on the agenda the executive branch would like the legislative branch to help enact.

• Georgia Guide Stones Destroyed; Failed Candidate Takes Victory Lap

  News, July 08, 2022

• Charlie Harper: Georgia Makes Big Investments In Electric Vehicle Future

  News, June 03, 2022

• The Federal Reserve Gave Us A Great Economy. Now They’re Taking It Back.

  News, May 23, 2022

• Let’s Talk About Roe. And Georgia.

  News, May 06, 2022

  When the Supreme Court made law from the judicial branch in January of 1973, I was 3 years old. Let’s stipulate for the record that the men and women who remember times before Roe vs Wade are well into their AARP years.

• Charlie Harper: 2022 Georgia Elections – They’re Not About Donald Trump

  News, April 26, 2022

• Charlie Harper - Ignoring Foreign Threats Doesn’t Make Them Go Away

  News, February 28, 2022

• Charlie Harper: Georgia Isn’t Texas, Or Florida, Or Nevada…

  News, February 04, 2022

• Charlie Harper: Georgia Moving To Reform State’s Mental Health Systems

  News, January 21, 2022

• Georgia Mourns Johnny Isakson, A Statesman and Friend

  News, January 03, 2022

• Charlie Harper: Remembering Life and Political Lessons from Bob Dole

  News, December 10, 2021

• Charlie Harper: On Lewis Grizzard, Public Opinion, And College Football

  News, December 03, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Do Georgia’s Senators Side With Unions Or Georgia’s Workers?

  News, November 30, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Veterans Have Earned Our Respect Of Their Sacrifice

  News, November 11, 2021

• 2021 Elections: What A Difference A Year Made

  News, November 05, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Ports Backlog A Symptom Of More Complex Problems

  News, October 15, 2021

• Charlie Harper: A Few Words About Educators In Their Communities

  News, October 08, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Legislators To Meet In November To Draw New Maps

  News, October 01, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Unconstitutional Eviction Moratoriums Will Hurt Those They’re Supposed To Help

  News, September 20, 2021

• Charlie Harper: The Two Decades Since 9/11 Marks A Career For Many In Military

  News, September 10, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Labor Day is No Holiday for Frontline Healthcare Workers

  News, September 02, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Georgia Answering Call for More Cybersecurity Workers

  News, August 27, 2021

• SEC Is Getting Bigger, But Not Necessarily Better

  News, July 30, 2021

• Speaker Proposes Massive Additional Resources To Aid Law Enforcement

  News, July 23, 2021

• Charlie Harper: State In Unusual Position Of Having Extra Billions To Spend

  News, July 01, 2021

• Charlie Harper: On Ending the Disincentives to Work

  News, June 18, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Economic Statistics Indicate Worst of Pandemic is Behind Us

  News, June 14, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Time to Accept Electric Vehicles as Mainstream

  News, June 04, 2021

• Charlie Harper: State Adds Megasite to Economic Development Arsenal

  News, May 27, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Rooting For Atlanta As a Bystander In Upcoming Elections

  News, May 21, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Inflation Has Returned, But Will It Hang Around?

  News, May 14, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Mocking Earth Day Is Poor Form, Bad Strategy

  News, April 22, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Tuition Frozen, But Student Loans Still A Problem

  News, April 15, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Even After Elections Georgia Remains Political And Economic Ground Zero

  News, April 09, 2021

• Charlie Harper: Washington Is Here To Help

  News, March 18, 2021

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