Former Newton County economic development head Roger Harrison traveled to Washington, D.C., recently to give Georgia congressmen his take on the national debt – reduce it. Harrison, who now works with local business Wagner Service Solutions, met with Georgia senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson and representatives Paul Broun and Tom Price as part of a non-partisan campaign called Fix the Debt, through which people from the around the nation urged congressmen to take action on fixing the debt.

"We cannot continue this current model; it’s just not sustainable," Harrison said this week. "It is, without a doubt, the biggest issue facing our and future generations."

Harrison, who went with two other Georgia residents, said, "The goal was to impress upon our elected officials that the oppressive federal debt is crippling the growth of private businesses in Georgia."

Based in Covington, Wagner Solutions provides services in 22 states, employs around 400 and works in the staffing, janitorial, security and vending fields tailored to commercial, industrial and manufacturing businesses.

"Wagner is in the business of helping other businesses reach their goals and succeed. I can’t think of a better way to help us all succeed than to eliminate the burden of the national debt, get this economy rolling, and put people back to work," said Harrison, who thanked the company for letting him travel to Washington while on the clock.

Maya MacGuineas, head of the Fix the Debt campaign, said in a press release that her goal is "to carry this message on and let leaders in Washington know that rushed, stop-gap measures like sequestration are not the answer. The time for action is now."

The press release said while near-term projections are better than expected, rising health care costs, an aging population, Social Security’s looming insolvency and ever-increasing interest payments will continue to greatly expand the national debt as a share of the economy starting at the end of the current decade.