Politics & Government

Buckhead business leaders express relief

Banker Charles Crawford, Buckhead Business Association President Lolita Jackson give responses

From Patch Staff Reports

Buckhead Patch asked Buckhead business leaders to respond to the passage of the agreement to raise the U.S. debt ceiling. The U.S. Senate approved the legislation Tuesday, which means the country won't default on its debt, as feared.

Let us know what you think about the debt ceiling agreement and the political process. Please give your thoughts in the Comments box.

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Charles B. Crawford Jr., president, chairman and CEO, Private Bank of Buckhead

What is your response to the agreement?

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While I am certainly glad an agreement was reached, I am disturbed what a contentious process it appears to have been. I am not a fan of last minute deals and I do not believe people do their best thinking in a crises environment with an hour-glass that is almost depleted of its sand. Too, by delaying some of the tougher decisions, further debt will accumulate unnecessarily, which is bad fiscal stewardship.

Do you think it will help or hurt the Buckhead economy?  

The Buckhead economy is resilient, and I believe having an agreement in place is certainly more beneficial than having the U.S. government default on its obligations. What will help Buckhead more is yet to be done. Our representatives in Washington need to make the tough choices on how we curb our spending so as not to run long-term deficits.  

What is your view of the political process that led to the agreement? 

What is the expression, “You don’t want to watch sausage being made”? I feel sure there were many spirited debates, but I hope in the future there can be more collaboration by reasonable people that have their constituents' best interests in mind and put a long-term plan in place to de-leverage our country from the mountain of debt we have incurred by borrowing from the future. The process we've just seen in Washington is a poor financial lesson for our children

Lolita B. Jackson, president of Buckhead Business Association, and manager of external affairs for Georgia Power

“Many of us at the Buckhead Business Association are pleased that the resolution allows for a plan to move forward. The debt and deficit in our country is among one of the most complex issues before us and a decision to control it is refreshing. While it will take many years to come before we will see the results, it’s clear we all care about the health of the economy.”   

“I believe for the next few weeks, this will be a common topic for many of us at our Thursday morning meetings, and we all look forward to what will happen in the months to come.”  

See Buckhead Patch for more responses


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