How to avoid being a source of Road Rage. Item of the week: Left-lane cruisers. Remember that the left lane, according to the Georgia Driver’s Handbook, is for passing and not for cruising, regardless of your speed. By cruising in the left lane, you are forcing cars to pass you on your right. This is not as safe as passing on the left and is also a citable offense. Thus, you are exposing your neighbors to a moving violation by stubbornly cruising in the passing lane. Once you are no longer passing anyone, you should move to the right lane in accordance with established law. With no one around you, you are not passing so there is no reason for you to be driving in the left lane unless you are preparing to turn left. You should leave the left lane clear in the event that someone comes up from behind you wishing to pass. If you are pacing a car in the right lane, you have created a blockade and are thus a major source of road rage. Be considerate of those who are trapped behind you and would like to pass by clearing the left lane. Don’t be the cause of a traffic jam by building a mile of traffic in your rear-view mirror because of your stubborn intransigence or ignorance. You are identifying yourself as an oblivious moron driver to all those around you who know how to drive properly and considerately. Bottom line: Don’t make yourself a source of road rage by being a “Left-Lane Cruiser Loser.”

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Judging from the number of anonymous police officers posting on The Citizen’s online blog about the inept management of the PTC Police Department, I suspect it will be a very long time before the words “Peachtree City police” and “professionalism” will be mentioned in the same sentence.

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So our ex-police chief has found out what it feels like to be harassed just like he and his staff have done for years to so many of our good citizens. I guess what goes around comes around. At last, justice. One other question, what exactly are half a dozen police officers doing at Pano and Paul’s restaurant prior to the McIntosh prom? Are they the band or what? I certainly hope my tax dollars didn’t pay for this party.

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Sounds like Cpl. Lackey didn’t have the only exposed boob. Thanks, Chief Murray, it’s the first time you’ve made me smile. Let’s see: a department using the computer to catch sexual predators, a computer sexual predator leading the department, a resource officer at a middle school having “sex toy” parties, and the chief telling one of his staff she should get implants. As Leno would say, you can’t make this up. Too much time was wasted on computers trying to catch weirdoes; they should have just looked up from their desks.

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My family has always supported our Peachtree City Police Department, and treated its officers with the respect that they have deserved. However, an incident occurred this past summer which caused me to question the judgment of its officers. Our 12-year old daughter was stopped and cited by a police officer for driving a golf cart underage while accompanied by her 17-year old teen sister, who is a licensed driver. We didn’t realize that the law requires a parent or guardian to be present, not just a licensed family member. Our daughters were upset that they had unwittingly broken the law, but were very respectful of the officer who stopped them, as they always are. The police officer threatened to handcuff and take our youngest daughter to the police station for her mother to pick up. She bullied our 12-year-old into tears, according to her sister. She made fun of their names and proceeded to embarrass them in front of other people. This treatment was not necessary, and our daughters deserved better. I acknowledge that this Peachtree City Police officer proved how tough she can be to a 12-year-old, frightening her into tears. The police officer cited both my wife and daughter, which cost us $205 in fines and required our daughter to miss a day of school, and her mother to miss a day of work. I’m less concerned about the money than the fact that my daughters, who are two fine young ladies, were treated in such a threatening, intimidating manner. Regrettably, I will no longer support the Peachtree City Police Department. Its officers are a reflection of it; and the community deserves better.

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Now that the bloodletting has started in Peachtree City’s political system, it’s probably a good time for the state attorney to step in to investigate any and everyone connected to the management of this city. Seems like the city manager is leading the witch hunt, which takes all of the heat from himself and his cohorts within the elite group of city insiders. I have said all along that no one is accountable to anyone. I was wrong. This city’s government is accountable to the citizens of this community, so it would be appropriate for the state to investigate the way this city is or is not being managed. After all, whenever there is a need, this city quickly calls in a consultant to solve whatever the problem may be because there is no one capable in this city able enough to make a good and credible decision about anything.

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I am a property and homeowner in Fayette County. The county is proposing to take some of our property for the West Fayetteville Bypass. This bypass will only save about a half a mile, will cost millions of dollars and disrupt the lives of a number of taxpayers and businesses making the property they have their homes on just about worthless. Meetings with Fayette County officials have been useless. Fayette County employees have resorted to lying to citizens and taxpayers of Fayette County when asked to seek alternatives before any staking of property is begun. These strong-arm tactics can not continue. If anybody is thinking to moving to Fayette County to live or start a business here, think twice, Fayette County officials cannot be trusted. They are resorting to socialistic tactics to make a case for a project that will spend a huge amount of resources for a small benefit. Citizens of Fayette County, please help us fight unfair and unjust government intrusion.

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I am a resident of Lakeside on Redwine and parent of two children who attend Spring Hill Elementary. One child will be attending middle school next year, which I assume will be Bennett’s Mill (who knows at this point?) and one will be attending Sara Harp Minter now, I am being told (information that I was told by running into a teacher at a store). These school lines have got to get under control. It is absolutely ridiculous that our neighborhood is under constant scrutiny every single time a change is considered. I cannot figure out the logic that I will have a child at Sara Harp Minter Elementary for one year with Whitewater Middle School across the street. Then, my other child will be attending Bennett’s Mill Middle School which has Cleveland Elementary right next door to it. It does not make any sense whatsoever. And it is not fair to our children to send them to Sara Harp Minter Elementary and then to Bennett’s Mill Middle School when they didn’t go to elementary school with any of those children. I have never seen a county undergo so many changes or proposed changes in my life. I am beginning to wonder if these people making these irrational decisions on the Board of Education are educated themselves.

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Well, folks, our incompetent, lying and gutless school board has done it to us again big time. They are incompetent because they seem to be unable to figure out how many schools we need and where they should be located, to say nothing of who should occupy them. After they took some heat from the last redistricting plan, they showed their lack of guts by hiring a high-priced expert and forming a citizens committee to develop the next plan. This was no doubt so they would be able to point the finger at someone else and disclaim any responsibility for the results in case there was more heat this time. This is not rocket science. Locate the current school on a map and draw a circle around it. Count the kids inside the circle and then adjust the borders of the circle to meet school capacity, district borders and, to the extent possible, subdivision or community borders. Keep adjusting the borders until near school capacity is achieved. You don’t need a high-priced expert to do this. The board just wasted $45,000 of our money. Don’t forget that this is our money they are playing with. And if you need a reminder, just look at your tax bill and note the amount levied for schools. And to compound the foolishness, the board in their infinite wisdom totally disregarded any plan from their own high-priced expert as well as the citizens committee and developed their own last-minute plan and then accepted their own work. First, they admit their incompetency and hire an expert, and then develop their own plan in spite of their lack of competence. What a mess! And this is just the beginning of the issue. Any plan that is developed for the next school year is sure to fail and will be out of date by the time school begins in the fall. We can look forward to going through all this again. And we will continue to have these problems as long as our current developer-friendly county commissioners and city council members are in power. Build, build, build! Bigger is better is their motto. Just look around at the number of already existing vacant houses and those that have been on the market for some time and you decide if we need more. I don’t really think our school issue can be solved until we put some reins on our representatives who continue to rubber-stamp new developments. And speaking of money, the board showed their incompetency and perhaps lied to us when they sold us a bill of goods a few years ago about the need for lots of new schools and we gullibly believed them and voted ourselves a huge multi million dollar debt. Now it seems that we don’t need all these schools at all, and are actually having trouble filling the ones we have, to the extent that they are going to declare one of the existing schools excess and close it. Does this cause our school board to stop and reconsider their plans? Absolutely not! They continue to build new schools we don’t need and can’t fill. Another waste of our money. And yes, I heard that there were to be public hearings on the school closure. I also noted that the school board vote would be held immediately after the hearing. Does anyone actually believe that they will pay the slightest attention to the public comments? The vote is a foregone conclusion and the public hearings are a sham being done to either comply with some statutory requirement or to make us believe that we might actually have some input to how our taxes are being spent. Our board doesn’t have a clue. We need fewer education experts and more hard-nosed and sound businessmen who have to work with a budget and are used to making calls based on the amount of funds available. Our board just ignores reality and raises taxes with no thought of cutting some of the fat from the system. Paying a superintendent $180K per year plus perks immediately comes to mind as a source for some extra money. I haven’t yet figured out what he does to earn that amount. But that’s a topic for another day. We need to take control of our representatives and remind them that they work for us and not vice versa. John DeCotis should be terminated and the remainder of the board recalled and replaced with those that have the interests of the taxpayers in mind.

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Hey, administrators, counselors and teachers at Spring Hill: After all those years of babying, pampering and catering to every little whim of the students and parents of Lakemont and Lakeside, how does it feel watching them fight tooth and nail to get out of your school and get rezoned to Sara Harp Minter? Perhaps you should have been valuing the rest of your students and parents all along.

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To the Highgrove parent: For the record, we HAD it good in Fayette County until arrogance and an inflated sense of entitlement clouded the redistricting process. How insulting to tell everyone to “get over it” when our children are being deprived of things at school due to overcrowding. Have you wondered why Peeples ran out of muffins at Moms and Muffins this year? Have you wondered why the class parties have to take place of separate days? Have you asked the teachers, nurse, cafeteria workers, custodians, etc., how the overcrowding affects them? Yes, our children are getting a quality education, but at what expense? Maybe it would be a good idea to get the facts and be more aware of the effects of overcrowding before telling us to “get over it.”

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Why do the elected officials of Peachtree City keep saying no big box establishments and then turn around and bring the bad Kohl’s plan back? Mayor Logsdon can give us all a great big Valentine’s present by killing the big box and not dishing over our city property. If you want to give away property owned by the taxpayers, let the taxpayers vote on it in November.

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My gosh! Stop with the sales pitch on the Kohl’s big box, how about it? Mayor Logsdon promised no big boxes in the newsletter, so keep it that way. I hate watching the malicious big box developer try to weasel his way into stealing our roads. It’s time to act like a grown up human being, Mr. Mayor, and send that bum packing.

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The paid advertisement by the Kohl’s big box developer is a sure sign our pressure on the city to do the right thing is working. Doug “McBully” McMurrain isn’t going to recklessly spend cash on a clearly biased ad like the one in The Citizen unless he feels the local homeowners are going to win. Hurray for us. Doug Sturbaum and Don Haddix are leading the way against what was previously a pro-developer city council. Go back to where you came from Doug McBully and leave us alone.

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As a 27-year resident, I’ve yet to come across an elected official in Fayette County who disrespects the local people as much as Mayor Logsdon. The man is bending over backwards to help the big box guy clean up at our expense. Why Boone and Plunkett go along with him, I can’t figure it out. Haddix and Sturbaum have proven true to their word.

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Mayor Logsdon is the absolute pits. I have never seen someone so willing to trash his constituents. The man has no shame. We ought to name Highway 54 “Logsdon Congestion Boulevard.”

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I feel sorry for the people who voted in the two new council members, thinking that along with the support from the existing council member, Cyndi Plunkett, that they could form a coalition and get this out of control city government back in control. Boy, were we fooled. Guess we have to wait and see if we can elect another council member who would have the citizens of PTC’s best interest at heart. To Don and Doug, don’t get pushed into the corner. You both have lots of support from the voters who believe in you.

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Mr. Tim Lydell just doesn’t get it. Look, buddy, we don’t want a developer who’s nothing more than a schoolyard bully to threaten us into coughing up city property so he can make a huge profit off our heads. There’s a reason we just elected two no-nonsense guys to the city council who promised not to budge on the issue: no more big box stores. The motto for the council should be, “We don’t give in to terrorists.”

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I love going to the Pavilion and seeing residents from surrounding counties coming to Fayetteville to spend their money. I have never had a problem, nor have I ever understood the attitude of some citizens who feel that Fayette County, especially PTC, is somehow a closed society open only to residents. I am sure there are circumstances where undue advantage has been taken, but those are in the minority and should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. For example, when you repeatedly see the out of county tag in a school car line, take the time to call it in so the authorities can investigate. Be part of the solution, not part of the “misery loves company” club. I understand that crime is an issue, but we cannot group a majority of law-abiding visitors with a few wandering criminals. I try to spend all of my money in Fayetteville because I live here, but I like that, if I need to, I can jet onto 85 and be anywhere in minutes and find almost anything I want. Why shouldn’t law-abiding residents of other counties be allowed to enjoy that same freedom? I bet you were very happy to see those Clayton County plates on the bomb squad vehicles that had to come to PTC to save your behinds from some spoiled teens. Do you think we should pay them a fee or just give the next non-Fayette County tagged car an open-minded break? I plan on going with both.

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To the lovely person who informed us that Fayette was next, and we should get used to it or move: Not only are we not going to give you Fayette County, we are going to take Clayton County back. We will buy your home for nickels and dimes, thanks to the subprime mess, and we are going to elect a new sheriff who will actually fight crime instead of encouraging it. How do you like us now? And to the venter from last week with the “racial tensions” vent: We will never get used to your “culture” of breaking the law. Oh, and we aren’t moving either.

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I guess “driving while black in Fayette” could also mean NOT having to obey basic driving rules. A “person of color” passed two cars on South Jeff Davis (double yellow line all the way). Had he been stopped, he would have shown his “race card” instead of his license and registration.

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I don’t understand, if we are striving to be one nation, totally equal, then why does the black community continue to segregate themselves by demanding to be called African-Americans, even though they were born in the USA? Am I supposed to be called Scottish-American because my ancestors came from Scotland, or the Germans called German-Americans, or the Irish called Irish-Americans, etc? Aren’t we all just plain Americans?

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I’m sorry, folks, but as a recent transplant to Fayetteville, I’m rather appalled. Most days this column ought to be called “Hate Speech” and the paper itself should be called the Fayette White Sheet. They could even print little eyeholes to cut out so you can wear it as a pointy hood.

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To the teachers who may have their minds made up about certain kids, please give them a chance to shine too. My daughter is only 6 years old, but she comes home from school in tears. Her face lights up when she sees you, only to have you look down at her with such disapproval. Please remember, they may not be all be cookie-cutter Peachtree City children, but each is a precious child, and each deserves a chance. If they know that you expect them to fail, then they lose part of that drive to succeed, to please you. If you expect them to fail, I believe they might just prove you right. Goethe said something like, “Treat a man as he is, and he will remain so. Treat a man the way he can be and ought to be, and he will become as he can be and should be.” Please give her a chance. There is no reason why a 6-year-old should already have her spirit and joy for school and learning crushed.

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To the Timberlaker that continues to tell everyone how you all paid for the paths, you are still showing your backside. The developer of Highgrove paid for the path on Redwine from his own pocket, has had several meetings with the county to extend a path down the parkway to Redwine and to connect with other neighborhoods. Now that’s being proactive vs. reactive. I am not a betting person, but I bet all the neighborhoods around you could make Timberlake’s life more difficult by shutting you off on both ends, like a previous article.

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To the citizens of Peachtree City: After my post with regard to Timberlake and their policy on gating cart paths, I had soon after learned that there was already an additional fee for cart owners who reside outside of our city limits but have access to our path system. It is comforting to know logic prevails in our city government when it comes to situations such as this. Please excuse my ignorance on the subject. The gates are locked in the evenings, at least the entrance closest to PTC. I know this because I had to drive my cart around the gate (between the poles) to get through. Granted, this was not a problem for me, but it could be for others. I still took the risk of damaging my cart but I really did not have much choice. I also understand residents of Timberlake have keys to the locks. If you don’t lock the gates, then why do the residence have keys? Hmmm... As far as vandalism and trash cleanup is concerned, I think it is fair to say that some areas of PTC have greater trouble than others. I am not certain why the individual who “doesn’t live in Timberlake” believes the vandals reside in PTC. Kids are the main contributors to these issues. The path where I live is always clean. There may be refuse occasionally, but someone always seems to volunteer to pick it up. I know I have and I have seen my neighbors perform the same act. The cart paths in the city are maintained by our taxes. The additional $60 a year paid by residents outside of PTC is for use only of the path system. It does not account for garbage cleanup. I do commend the individuals in Timberlake who do volunteer their time and energy to help keep their paths looking good. Vandalism is an issue which is not a result of having a cart path extending through the neighborhood, but it is because these kids have a lack of respect for other peoples’ property. It happens everywhere and more so with neighborhoods that have older kids. I have seen “tags” throughout the city path system, and the city makes certain to clean up the damage. In the example relating to Timberlake, I would bet the individuals are from Timberlake or neighborhoods close by, such as Highgrove. Final note: we have something not many cities have: A cart path that connects our city and provides us access to many resources. It is unfortunate things such as vandalism and littering happen. But, it is not because of the cart path these things occur. You cannot control this by locking gates and prohibiting access.

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Relief from water restrictions. Do you want to water your lawn till it’s deep, deep, emerald green colored this spring and summer? Wouldn’t it be nice to wash the car in your own driveway and get it really clean for a change? See the kids running through the sprinklers this summer, laughing and playing just like we did when we were kids? Of course you would. But, how, you ask. Simple, just install your own well and pump. Or cheaper yet, talk to your next-door neighbor and go in together on a well. Some of you further out in the county probably have an old well installed before the water lines reached out that far. Believe it or not, our lake owners association advised the county they are installing a 70,000-gallon per day pump to bring the lake level up so the lake will look nice and full. Tony Parrott of the Fayette County Water Authority responded, “The water system has no rules or regulations concerning private wells.” On a personal note, I am shocked that the county and or state is allowing this and still talking water shortage. The county gets its water from lakes and wells; only difference is they treat the water before sending it to your tap. If the past few years are any indicator of the future, a well might be a sound investment that would probably reflect in property value at sale time. I know having a beautiful yard and clean car is important to me. Tell us what you think.

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I am so thankful to new Rep. Matt Ramsey for protecting us from those pesky sex offenders by limiting their domiciles. Please don’t stop here, Mr. Ramsey. Outlaw convicted shoplifters from living within 1,000 feet of a store. Restrict convicted jaywalkers from living within 1,000 feet of a street. Prohibit persons convicted of domestic violence from living within 1,000 feet of a family member. Just think, with your legislative intelligence, you can prevent almost any future crimes merely by circumscribing domiciles. I can’t tell you how safe I feel with such a thoughtful and innovative lawmaker representing me.

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Kyle Paul Sandusky’s letter was correct on Rep. Matt Ramsey’s rookie mistake with the sex offender legislation. But shouldn’t we give Ramsey a little slack since he’s a first-timer in the state’s House of Representatives? It was fairly obvious Ramsey didn’t bother to read the Georgia Supreme Court ruling on the previous statute. Hopefully, he’ll get better as time goes on.

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Even though the changes to Tyrone’s charter were miniscule (one might ask why they even bothered) take a look at Article 8.102: “Existing ordinances and resolutions of the town of Tyrone not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter (do they mean charter?) shall continue in effect until council has acted on said ordinances and resolutions. Within two years of the effective date of this charter, the council shall review all existing ordinances and resolutions, and shall adopt, repeal, modify or amend by majority vote of the council said ordinances and resolutions. All existing ordinances and resolutions not acted on by council shall be automatically repealed at the end of the above mentioned two year period.” Wow, our new lawyer is good. In addition to updating our charter he inserted a two-year contract for himself. Tyrone: It’s what’s for dinner.

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Whatever happened to Mayberry? Aunt Bee and Opie? I know Barney is still around. I moved here 24 years ago from East Point (after 10 years as a cop) and have found that many of my neighbors back then were from College Park, Hapeville, and East Point. Fayetteville was a lot like Mayberry; or at least how we would envision a modern day Mayberry. We all had one thing in common when we moved here. We wanted to live and bring up our kids in a decent, safe, and friendly community like Hapeville and all the others mentioned were when we were kids. For many years Fayetteville was that community; and I was proud to be from Fayette. I used to brag that I could put a $100 bill under my windshield wiper at night and it would still be there in the morning. Some nights I would wake only to remember that I had failed to lock the front door and went back to sleep, never giving it a second thought. After all, I live in Fayetteville. But in the past five years things have changed — slowly at first then picking up speed — and the change was NOT for the good. Suddenly all you read about in the papers seemed to be talking of a different city, not Fayetteville, not “God’s Country” (as I liked to call it). What happened? How did it happen? But more importantly, what can be done? Have you had enough and not going to take it anymore? The jerks and clowns are betting against us that we don’t even have the courage to drop a dime (call the police) on them and report illegal behavior no matter what it is (you can always remain anonymous). If we make their lives miserable, they will go where the picking is easiest, because after all they are lazy. I would really like to hear the thoughts of my fellow Free Speechers; maybe someone can come up with a solution.

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While driving through Tyrone last night, I noticed two cars in the mayor’s driveway. I hope that he would invite all seven members of his “army” to the “secret meetings.” Wouldn’t it be great if mayor and council cared so much that they did hold meetings, off the clock, to make Tyrone a better place to live? If the mayor has some friends over for the Super Bowl, they better park across the street. We don’t need anymore false accusations.

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In the recent Citizen, there was an article about how the citizens of Southampton subdivision are getting a neighborhood watch together. However, the article was quick to point out that only 2 plus percent of the Tyrone crime comes from that neighborhood. Can someone please tell us, then, what is the “problem” area of Tyrone? We would all love to know.

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Mike Smola, quit sending in all those editorials where you bash the new Tyrone mayor and council. We all know it is you. I believe you are a sore loser.

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I think with the city police and sheriff’s inability to “protect and serve” the salary-paying citizens of Fayetteville, Peachtree City, and Fayette County that they should at least try and warn us like the listing of sexual offenders is on the Internet. List all gang members’ names and addresses on the net so we can try and avoid them, watch them and report them. Once identified, I hope the police rides them like a rented mule till they crawl out of Fayette County looking for relief. More now than ever before, this proves the need for Fayette to progress into the 20th century like the neighboring counties have done and form a Fayette County Police Department. After all, the Sheriff’s Department has always been wards of the court and county jail. Doing both police and sheriff’s jobs taxes them beyond their capabilities, and, as the saying goes, “jack of all trades, master of none.” Fayette County citizens need and deserves a full time police department. Then and only then can we ever hope to get a handle on the gang and drug problems that grow with impunity.

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After reading The Citizen’s coverage of the NAACP forum on gangs in Fayetteville, I felt compelled to write this: This is addressed to the parents who made catcalls and moans towards our police and county officials during the recent NAACP forum on gangs in Fayetteville. Shame on you. Most of you are here (like myself) because we sought out better schools, a safer city, and a better quality of life. And now you are attacking this city’s very means by which we ensure this quality. We residents elect these officials because of their dedication to our safety and well-being. With parents behaving like this, what can we expect from the children? Instead of targeting the police, why don’t these parents target the at-risk youth?

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What kind of gang name would be good for a gang whose turf is the bathroom?

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Fayetteville Police, put down your cell phones and use that turn signal.

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Is the board of health aware that Fayette County High School has this crazy new bathroom policy? I wonder if it’s a violation to have only two bathrooms accessible by key only for over 1,300 students?

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It infuriates me that my taxes go to pay the salaries of the staff at this high school and the Fayette County Board of Education. These people are supposed to be the ones teaching our children. Teaching them what? To hate. That the people running this school and the others in this county have less intelligence than those they are trying to teach? This group needs to be charged with child cruelty and for endangering the physical health and mental health of these children. There is no excuse, none, for locking the toilets. This is abuse. Plain and simple. These people should know who the troublemakers are, and if they don’t, they are not doing their job. Require the troublemakers to be the ones penalized. The rest of the student body should access when needed without having to wait for their number to be called. These toilet conditions are about as asinine as the school’s zero tolerance policy. Punishment without justice seems to be too much the rule.

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Has there been anymore vandalism of the school buses at Ingles since those poor victimized kids were chased out of the parking lot?

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For sale in North Fayetteville: Six flat screen televisions.

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It’s 7:45 a.m. Saturday and I just saw the Knights of Columbus in action picking up garbage on Peachtree City streets. Thank you.

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This message is for the person who took two rings from the thrift store in PTC. Profits from the store are used to help community programs and families in need. The rings had price tags of $2 and $3.50. You may think $5.50 is an insignificant amount of money, but $5.50 can buy formula to feed a hungry baby for several days.

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Fayette County schools ought to teach to the CRCT and SAT as that is all they care about. It is basic economics, good scores equal more funding. Duh, that was difficult to figure out. What about smart kids going to college with great foundations makes for great employees that earn more money? Besides, I have never seen a school district’s plaque or blue ribbon of excellence on any employee’s wall in the real world. I have found that most successful employees come from small schools where attention is paid to education vs. accolades. What a concept.

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There is discussion as to whether we should add a stop light to Crosstown/Peachtree Parkway. Please encourage the council members to vote no on this measure. It is a unique feature of our fair city that there are no stop lights on the parkway. If approval is granted at this intersection, it will only be a matter of time before all intersections along the parkway will have a stop light. Stop lights interfere with the flow of traffic and would only cause congestion and increase pollution as cars sit idle waiting for a light which will not be timed correctly. This proposed solution is a result of our expansion of Ga. Highway 74 and new businesses. I agree there should be right turn lanes where needed. But a stop light to deal with increased traffic flow during the hours of 7-8 a.m. and 5-6 p.m. weekdays is simply a waste of our taxpaying dollars. As for golf cart safety, no one has been hurt at that crossing because there is no golf cart crossing at that intersection. So, the argument that the light would aid in safety is without merit. However, even if there were a crossing at that intersection as with other intersections in PTC, a light would not improve safety.

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The hill on the 11th hole at Braelinn Golf Course (formerly #2) has always been a place where kids could sled in the very rare case of snow; at the most, three times in the past 10 years, and in its history, maybe six to eight times, total. I can tell you that adults are usually present as well. This has never been an issue in the past because no damage has ever been done to the course. If you knew anything about golf, you’d know that hole is a par 3, and the area where the kids sled is the rough, not a manicured fairway. If you knew anything about snow, you’d know that golf courses are very often the place where kids can sled because of the open spaces. This occurs all over the country, and I doubt that you’ll ever see police cars patrolling the cart paths. Fact is, there are few, if any, public spaces in PTC where kids can go (without being driven) to sled. I seriously doubt that Canongate has ever had a problem with this. I’d like to know who called the PTCPD that Saturday? The Canongate offices were closed, as were the pro shops. True, the courses are private property, and they have been vandalized in the past. I think it’s great that people who live near or on them would keep an eye out for trespassers. But I also think it’s ridiculous that someone would actually call the cops on the extreme rare occasion of a bunch of kids having fun in the snow. I’m certain that the PTCPD has much more important things to do when the roads are in that condition.

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Anyone else get a kick out of seeing the smokers huddled together outside the Waffle House on cold days?

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Thank you, Peachtree City, for the new golf cart crossing signs on the north end of Peachtree Parkway. They are wonderful, well-placed and I especially love the addition of the 25 mph sign since I think that would be a safe speed for traffic to adhere to. I hope they bring about neighbors and passersby of our path-led town to yield at these crosswalks when they see a golf cart or a walker trying to cross them. Please help us have a community where safety and friendliness can grow more everyday. I promise if you yield they will wave thanks and smile. A good deed never goes unnoticed.

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When are the police in PTC and Fayetteville going to start enforcing the law on people using handicapped parking spaces without authorization? I am a severely handicapped person and half the time I cannot get a space for the cars without handicapped tags or permits filling all the spaces. I often wait for one to open up and while waiting I observe perfectly healthy people striding out to their car in the handicapped space with regular spaces open a few steps farther away. Nine out of ten times it is a minority person. I suppose the police are afraid to ticket them because they would scream racism. On Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m., I observed a late model silver Camry with Fayette County tag AWT-6438 with no handicapped tag in a handicapped space at the Kedron Kroger parking lot. The man came swaggering out of the store and practically jogged over to his car and drove away.

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Georgia Republican “leaders” are way, way out of touch. Even at the local level, the Fayette Republican group has always been an irrelevance that never had much of any impact and would invite even communists to their meetings if it gave the leaders a little “oompf.” Now look at the Presidential race. Last summer, state Senator Ronnie “The Opportunist” Chance figured that the front runner was pro-choice, anti-gun, pro-divorce, cross-dressing Rudy Giuliani. Heck, Ronnie and Sonny Perdue thought that this was a great chance for each of them to feather their nests and back Rudy. It did not take long for the rank-and-file Republicans to show Rudy the door, leaving Ronnie and Sonny and the all the retread Dixiecrats with egg on their face. Then right before the primary, U.S. Senators Chambliss and Isakson go for the sure thing (they thought) and back John McCain. And, again proving himself to be witless and inconsequential, Congressman Westmoreland backed Mitt Romney. Apparently, ol’ Mitt had less faith in his chances than Westmoreland thought, because Mitt bailed out just days after Westmoreland’s endorsement. And, so, who did the rank-and-file Republican back? Mike Huckabee. Our “leaders,” state and local, are totally out of it. We need a need a sea change.

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To all you Republicans out there: After Super Tuesday the leading Republican candidate may very well have the nomination locked up. Not crazy about some of John McCain’s positions or Mitt Romney’s and Mike Huckabee’s religious affiliations? If you can’t find any of the GOP candidates that you agree with on every issue, you’re not alone. However, if you feel so disillusioned that you might not vote, or worse are considering crossing over and voting Democratic in November, think hard before you do it. Either way you will be helping Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama get elected. Can you live with the consequences? The worst part of that will probably not be that Clinton or Obama gets elected with their agendas. With both the Senate and House of Representatives controlled by the Democratic Party, there is much worse to be considered. Are you ready for de facto control of this country to be turned over to Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, etc.? Are you prepared for the closure of Guantanamo Bay Prison and civilian trials for terrorist combatants? How about a weakened military like was experienced under eight years of Bill Clinton that led directly up to the horrendous attacks of Sept. 11. 2001? What about no more military recruiters or ROTC on our school campuses? How about no more coercive interrogation techniques allowed no matter how valuable the information that is obtained. Does your upbringing allow you to agree with legalized gay marriage across the board? How about a tax structure that increases taxes on “all those greedy companies out there” that are not paying their “fair share”? That one ought to just about do the economy in. Remember, folks, we all want to keep our jobs. All these mentioned things are just the tip of the iceberg as I’m quite sure there are many others. Once you fully open the lid of the new progressive and secular lifestyle box, I dare say you probably won’t get it closed again, possibly ever. I’m not ready for this great U.S. of A. to morph into a model of the European Union and I don’t believe you are either. Someone in the world has to be strong enough to stand up for justice and face down tyranny. It appears, with some minor exceptions, that this great task has been left up to America. Once again I ask you, do you want Pelosi, Reid, Kennedy, Clinton and/or Obama making our domestic and foreign policies unchecked? Consider wisely.

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What is this fascination with outdoor burning in PTC? Is there a pyromaniac convention here? You would think that with all the pollution it would logically be outlawed. I’ve been composting for years. I help the environment instead of harming it and force my neighbors to breathe the smoke.

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Have the residents of Peachtree City ever questioned or been concerned about the use of pesticides and herbicides within this city? Actually Peachtree City uses quite a lot of these type chemicals. This city also uses a licensed employee that applies these chemicals in areas designated by himself and other representatives of the city. The law surrounding the distribution of such hazardous materials are very strict and to the point. The law also addresses the disposal and or recycling of toxic materials such as these. The remainder of these unused portions of chemicals that are brought back after routine application are also to be dealt with along strict guidelines. The excess materials must be placed within certain types of holding tanks or recycling system of some type. Peachtree City has no such system for holding or recycling unused chemicals. When these tanks are brought back after daily use, the remaining chemicals in these tanks are washed out in parking areas and places where employees frequently travel. This has been going on for several years. Eventually the materials are washed into the stormwater areas and who knows where else. The individuals that do this have positions of responsibility within this city.

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Because it was my wife and daughter’s birthday today I took my family of four out for dinner tonight. It will be the last time ever to do that. We had an ordinary dinner, steak for me and my daughter, chicken for my wife and son. The tab was $135. Even at the bloated prices in the grocery stores, I could buy food for the entire family for a week with that kind of money. From now on it is baloney sandwiches and coffee at home and I will never be seen in a restaurant again. This country is being eaten up with greed and stupidity like no other country on earth. God help us.

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Partners Pizza in Peachtree City versus Partners Pizza in Fayetteville: Better food in Peachtree City versus fewer kids hanging from the trees outside.

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Congratulations to the Delta pilot who won $1 million in the Georgia Lottery. At least he recovered part of his pension that was stolen by Leo Mullin and Michelle Burns.

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I want to tell you a story about one man trying to purchase an item at several different stores, an item costing about $450. The first store I tried purchasing the item at, Best Buy, declined my check. The next store I tried declined my check. The third store, Target, declined my check, but this time I got a number to call to find out why. So I called the number and the agent I spoke with said that my checks and my driver’s license number fit a pattern for those who write bad checks. Now, last time I checked, profiling in any instance was illegal and, in my opinion, uncalled for. Whatever happened to passing a check in good faith? Have we gone so far in the gutter in this country where a person can’t write a check for even the simplest of things? Whatever happened to a little thing called trust? By the work of a select few, the rest of us have to pay the ultimate price of losing those liberties and privileges that we have taken for granted for so long. It is time to retake those liberties and punish those few who have or are trying to ruin the way of life we love so much. Why should I be punished because my age group doesn’t know how to responsibly handle their finances or just don’t care enough about their financial well-being and their credit? I know what they are thinking. They are thinking, “I’m young, this will all go away when I get older.” It is this way of thinking that must be dealt with. For some, this may seem a petty cause, but for those of us who do the right thing, never pass bad checks, and care enough about their financial status, should not be punished. Who cares if someone in a particular age group has passed bad checks and can’t write one anywhere? That is their problem, not mine and I shouldn’t have to pay for their foolish mistakes. No one made them write the check and no one made them be so financially irresponsible. My wife and I are very responsible when it comes to our finances and credit standing. I refuse to be a victim of something someone else does and continues to do. Those stores who use the authorizing company should discontinue their service and revoke any agreements they have made with them as a company. Check profiling is just that, profiling. America needs to get back to the roots and foundation that it was founded on, the principal foundation being a little thing called trust. In closing, let me pose this one significant question? Where has that trust gone?

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