Republican Party Ninth District
Bill Stephens

The Morganton Barber Shop opened a half day Thursday, and all day Friday and Saturday, during that fall of 1964. It was a different time; Barry Goldwater was facing Lyndon Johnson for the presidency and a young, ambitious State Senator from the area, named Zell Miller, was challenging Congressional Incumbent, Phil Landrum. The debate over Civil rights issues was in full force.

The owner, also serving as barber, was my grandfather. This was a place where, in between shaves and haircuts, a grandfather and grandson could get in some target practice with a 22 caliber pistol, shooting out the back door at cans of Barbasol Shaving Cream.

For an eight year old boy with big ears, a flat top haircut and muddy cowboy boots, the one chair barber shop with two wooden benches was also a fascinating, "laboratory of human nature", a place to listen and learn as mountaineers passed the time talking about hunting, farming, and, of course, politics.

Mountain people of the time took politics to be both serious and personal. The arguments were spirited, and uncensored, as one by one the men debated the worthiness of "that so and so" running for one office or another. To them, voting was important and elections had consequences because, as one old grizzled mountaineer put it, "Folks, at the end of the day, remember, you git what you vote for".

Many years later, I am convinced the man was right. Who we vote for, or whether we vote at all, does have consequences. As we approach a Presidential Election Year, let me share a true life example of how your vote for does indeed directly matter.

For the first 4 of the 8 years I served representing the mountain area in the Senate, Democrats controlled all branches of Georgia government as they had for the preceding 134 years. Year after year, any hint of pro-family and pro-life legislation was blocked and contained, but in 2002 that all changed. Conservative members of the General Assembly, and Georgians in general, were fed up and had enough. The result was more conservatives were elected and Republicans took over the Senate and the Governorship. Shortly thereafter, the House came under Republican control.

No longer constrained, the General Assembly passed the, "Woman's Right to Know" legislation, requiring that women simply be informed of the medical risks of abortion and the status of the life in their womb, then wait 24 hours before having an abortion.

Since the law's implementation in May 2005, according to the Department of Human Resources, between 32,500 and 40,500 women have talked to their doctors about an abortion. After receiving the information, approximately 10,000 chose to carry their babies to term. In addition, 2,300 girls under age 18 considered terminating a pregnancy, and only 500 did so.

So, for Georgians who voted for Conservatives over the past few years, your vote saved about 11,800 babies. The old mountaineer was ahead of his time, one does indeed, "Get what they vote for".

Bill Stephens is a fifth generation native of Fannin County and served in multiple rolls in the State Senate while representing most of North Georgia from 1999-2007. His progression through the Senate began with being elected as Chairman of the Senate Caucus as a freshman. At the end of his second term, he became the first Senate Republican Floor leader since Reconstruction and in his final term he was elected by his colleagues as Senate Majority leader.