The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Its narrative paints very different picture of the state we know and love.
We couldn’t believe it when we read it.
A headline in The New York Times recently referred to a “Peach State plummet.” A plummet? Really?
A little record-straightening, we thought, might be instructive.
But first, some background. Georgia finds itself in a bright spotlight these days for disparate reasons.
The sympathies, well-wishes and prayers of the nation are focused on the hamlet of Plains — and its most famous resident and his family.
With news that Jimmy Carter has entered hospice care, everyone, it seems, has been sharing fond memories about their beloved president, including Democrats and Republicans alike.
At the same time, our political landscape, for better or worse, continues to draw attention far beyond our borders.
There’s U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s fascination with secession — and her “liar” outburst during the State of the Union — as well as increased national interest in what will become of the Fulton County special grand jury’s investigation around the 2020 presidential election.
We all know those basics by heart by now.
Much of the resulting commentary hasn’t been favorable.
And it certainly doesn’t represent the 21st century kind of state that Georgia has worked so hard to become.
The narrative, as evidenced by that “plummet” headline, paints a very different picture of the Georgia that we know and love.
For starters, let’s not forget that our Republican governor and secretary of state successfully resisted the demands of former President Donald
Trump to override results of the 2020 election. People on both sides of the aisle rightly praised them for that.
Their actions, we’d argue, represent Georgia at its best.
We’d also like to point out just how prosperous and influential a state we really are, despite the distracting sideshows at times.
And we’d like to remind the world that much of what they watch on their myriad screens these days has deep roots in Georgia.
Broadcast and film production houses have spread like kudzu around here. (There’s a
reason we and others proudly call it “Y’allywood.”) The industry brings dollars by the billions to our state and attracts skilled jobs by the thousands.
That Spider-man flick supposedly based in New York City?
Many of the scenes were filmed here.
Make no mistake, our economy is humming.
Across this state, from metro Atlanta to rural crossroads, companies are moving in or expanding, bringing jobs, workers and ideas to this epicenter of the South. We’re a
hub of green energy and technology.
We have good-paying jobs. And low unemployment.
In 2022, Georgia’s average unemployment rate was 3.0%. By comparison, New York state’s rate was 4.3%.
You don’t need a calculator to see that’s a big difference.
None of this is to say that Georgia is synonymous with utopia.
Not yet, at least.
We have serious challenges before us that demand attention and commonsense solutions.
But we’ll put our univer
sities, our mountains, our beaches, our music scene and our chefs and thriving restaurants (minus the New York City prices) against anyone’s.
You see, we are a successful, bustling state whose residents have, at times, taught the world a thing or two about kindness and character.
No one should forget that. We owe at least that much to Jimmy Carter.
And one last thing, New York. This week, while you were bundled up in 43-degree weather, we were enjoying our sunny 74-degree days.
Just sayin’.