With all the hype over the presidential preference primaries on campus and in the newspaper, it is important to remember that the Georgia General Assembly is in session.

While the next president of the U.S. is an important issue, local politics is what really matters. Things such as HOPE, funding for the University, Medical College of Georgia campus on Prince Avenue, property taxes and trauma care are all issues that affect us on a daily basis.

It also is important to remember that it’s easier to play a role in local politics. Your local elected officials are easy to contact and willing to listen. If you feel strongly about something, let them know.

There are a few key pieces of legislation pending in the General Assembly that students need to be aware of.

The first one is the GREAT Plan, Georgia’s Repeal of Every Ad Valorem Tax, or basically a fancy way of saying that they are going to end property taxes in Georgia. Ending property taxes in Georgia sounds like a great plan, but you have to recover the income elsewhere. The plan proposes to institute a statewide sales tax on all goods and services.

Everything including your morning latte, your visit to the barber, chatting with your lawyer and getting your oil changed will be taxed. Before, only goods in the state of Georgia were taxed.

Local municipalities also are worried because the state will decide what this taxation rate is, and the state will be responsible for distributing the money to local municipalities. This will affect students in both the short and long term. In the short run, services like auto care, tutoring, veterinary and legal services would all be taxed. In the long run, when you buy a home, high property taxes would be a moot issue.

A second bill of importance is gun legislation being pushed by the National Rifle Association. House Bill 89 would prohibit property owners from banning gun storage in cars in parking lots. While I am a strong supporter of the second Amendment and the right to carry, this bill takes away the rights of property owners. It opens them up to legal liability and takes away their decision-making power.

Does having a gun in your glove box really make you any safer while inside a home or business? The NRA is using its membership and money to push this senseless legislation. They would be better off supporting HB 915, which seeks to clarify and simplify Georgia’s concealed carry laws.

These are just two of the many issues the General Assembly is working on this semester. Former U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neil once said, “All politics is local,” and he was dead on.

If you want to debate these issues and more be sure to attend College Republicans tonight in Caldwell 304 at 7 p.m., as we will be hosting a mock general assembly debating these bills.

- Greg Wilson is a freshman from Marietta majoring in political science.