The read

From my mid-week column in the Athens Banner-Herald ...

That's why it's especially distressing to see that states such as Georgia, with the highest number of uninsured folks, are also the ones that have the highest percentages of people who believe the lies circulating regarding the proposed reforms.

While there are ample reasons for this frustrating reality, one that can't be ignored is Georgia's obvious lack of responsible elected leadership at both the federal and state levels. There are too few who dare to challenge the status quo, and too many who are willing to hide behind scurrilous attacks in the name of personal political preservation.

This isn't a new, policy-specific problem. State politicians have a rich history of systematically ignoring the plight of those in poverty, while showering attention on the well-connected.

More than 1.3 million Georgians, or a little more than 14 percent of the state's population, live below the federal poverty line, and almost 20 percent of Georgia's children live in poverty. More than 21,000 people are homeless in Georgia. Additionally, Georgia has the second-highest number of homeless children in the nation, according to a study by The National Center on Family Homelessness.

According to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, 10,268 families are currently on the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families child-care support waiting list, primarily because the state allocates less than 10 percent of its available federal money to fund the program. That paltry total puts Georgia in the bottom quarter nationally in terms of funding support.

Yet, despite disparities like these, the state seems to be sitting on its hands.