Benedict makes wild promises in effort toward unseating Harbin

Editor:

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I learned a lesson reading Lee Benedict's guest column June 8. I didn't know Ben Harbin, our local House District 118 representative in the Georgia Legislature, is responsible for the "very soul of the Republican Party."

Benedict doesn't spell it out completely, but his meaning is clear. Fully one third of Benedict's column is directed to national government Republican failures, then he begins on Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and some of his disliked actions or proposed political actions.

The sole solution Benedict offers for all the enumerated failures of national and state Republicans is to throw out Harbin, and by inference, and/or statement, to elect Benedict. According to Benedict, his election will correct actions such as the governor's reducing by $1.2 million funding for Columbia County schools, and the governor's veto of a quarter of a million dollars for a highway patrol station.

Benedict says he will "restore credibility with the governor's office and rebuild the bridge that has been badly damaged by the embarrassments of Linda Schrenko and Robin Williams" and the "running feud with Ben Harbin." Wow!

Benedict even states, "some of the local GOP hierarchy asked me not to qualify to run against Harbin." Are we to believe those "local GOP hierarchy" individuals have selfish personal reasons for this action? Somehow I doubt it. Harbin currently is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. If he is gone, will Benedict be his replacement in that position?

Does Benedict, asking us to "do the right thing on July 15" and saying "I won't let you down," really believe he can fulfill the (wild?) promises in his column?

As far as that goes, do you, and should I, believe him? Will he really save "the very soul of the Republican Party"?

Richard Netzley

Evans