Effective January 1, 2010, I will resign my position as Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives and as state Representative for the 19th District in Paulding County.Not even a nod toward an apology. And, of course, the media has done harm to people with mental illnesses.
It has been an honor to serve the citizens of Paulding County as their Representative for 14 years and as Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives for the last five years. During this time, I have appreciated working with the members of the House and the people of Georgia to keep state government efficient and ensure a low tax burden for our fellow Georgians.
As Speaker, I have been well served by the entire staff of the House of Representatives, especially the staff in the Speaker's Office. To each of them I offer my profound thanks for their tireless efforts. And to my many friends and supporters throughout the state, thank you for standing by me even in the most difficult times. My service would not have been possible without you.
I am confident that House Leadership will continue to lead the House and its members as they serve all Georgians to the best of their abilities.
I recently made public that I have suffered from depression for many years. I continue to seek treatment and have made progress in dealing with this disease. In making this public disclosure, it was my hope to raise awareness and encourage others who suffer from this disease to come forward and seek treatment. I fear that the media attention of this week has deflected this message and done harm to many people who suffer from this condition.
I am thankful for the opportunities my service afforded me to make Georgia's future brighter. Though I will no longer be serving in elected office, my commitment to see a better tomorrow for our state remains. As always, I am confident that Georgia's best days are still ahead.”
That a man could come to the brink of his life like this and still not get it is staggering.
Mr. Speaker, and I write this as someone who would like to see you do well: Until you look inward, you won't begin to solve your problems.
4 comments:
Oh, perhaps an apology for terrorizing his wife with threats of DFACS and Georgia State Patrol would have been appropriate? Or abuse of power? Perhaps an apology to his children for accusing their mother of abandonment? (While staying with him, their father.) Or perhaps an apology to the citizens of Georgia for overlooking their best interests in order to better serve (sic) his mistress. And so much more...
Cheating on his wife, having an affair with a lobbyist while sponsoring a bill for her company, bringing a firestorm of credibility questions down on the Republican Party as it heads into a gubernatorial election — those would be good places to start.
I don't care whether he apologizes or not. I'm saying that, when your life falls apart, the first step in putting it back together is acknowledging the role you played in its erosion.
Perhaps he's doing that. But this statement sounds like it comes from a man who blames other people for his problems.
Editor's note: The comment that both Catherine and I were responding to has been removed by the author. He had asked what Glenn Richardson had to apologize for.
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