The Georgia General Assembly is underway, kicking off the legislative session for a new year.

Georgia faces several critical issues. Real issues that deserve the legislators’ full attention.

Yet, what may attract the Legislature’s focus this year will be elections and any number of ridiculous bills designed to make one party look better than the other, or one legislator to make a name for his or herself.

Often during election years, legislators try doing as little as possible regarding important issues.

Legislators face re-election.

Even a perceived wrong vote may cause trouble for a legislator back home.

One vote could serve as ammunition for a sitting legislator’s challenger.

Every year, the Legislature is besieged by political tussles based on party.

Each year, some legislators introduce legislation based on hot-button issues.

These issues cause much debate, receive far too much attention, waste time and taxpayer money and, in the end, do little good for the public.

The only person usually benefiting from such wasteful legislation is the legislator who introduced it.

Legislators, we do not need grandstanding, bitter partisanship, political dodging of issues or campaigning for a next term or a next office in either house of the General Assembly.

Georgia needs serious attitudes, vigorous but constructive debate, political courage to face the state’s challenges head on and leaving the campaigns off the House and Senate floors.

Georgia needs publicly-minded wise men and women, not politically-savvy wise guys.