Conversation between Governor George “Sonny” Perdue and state Senator Ronnie “Ronnie” Chance —Governor: “Well, you and young Matt did a good job down there. You earned your stripes. (Audible Chuckle).” Ronnie: “But, Governor, people down in Fayette are really angry with us. I had my car egged and people are calling me bad names.” Governor: “Ronnie, that’s just one of things that the ‘Governor’s Floor Leader’ has to do. Sometimes you have to mop the floor. Sometimes we use you as the mop. Me and Eric really need that voucher thing for talking points on the television shows. Besides, you rich people in Fayette can afford to educate all of Clayton County. Why can’t you belly up and help out?” Ronnie: “But, Governor. You don’t understand. People are calling me stupid. I feel so ashamed.” Governor: “Look, Ronnie, me and Eric really appreciate you taking a couple bullets for us. You are going to be OK. Me, Eric and Mitch will make sure there’s a place at the table for you. Now feel free to go get yourself another plate of barbecue. We need to talk about that road we need to get built down there for you. You’re gonna be OK.”

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It took the prolific outpouring of unprecedented grassroots Fayette County opposition to stop the school voucher legislation that our Sen. Ronnnie Chance initially supported, voted for and waved his party pompoms for. This was legislation that the Republican leadership desperately wanted. The questions remain: (1) If we (thanks to some of our other local officials and The Citizen) had not heard about this, would this disaster still have become law? And (2) How many other times have we been violated and we didn’t know it? Odd that Ronnie Chance voted for the bill and now denies it. He tried to massage it. He tried to rewrite it. He said, “This is part of the process.” He held a press conference to explain that we were victims of “misinformation.” But now, with a mountain of egg on his face, he says (displaying the grammar of one who admits he does not read well): “We worked real hard to kill the bill.” And what about Ramsey? He, too, working hard in his subcommittee to resurrect this Trojan horse, tries, incredulously, to claim glory, labeling his adopted child “ill-conceived legislation.” These guys are no different than the many local yokels we have who say one thing and do another, like the ones who say tough on crime and do the opposite.

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To all taxpayers in Fayette County: the impact of the Clayton County education crisis is not over yet. There are many illegal out of county students presently attending Fayette County schools. Don’t sit back and watch hundreds more enroll illegally before school starts in August. Contact all Fayette County School Board members and the superintendent and insist that the residency policy and its enforcement be totally overhauled. Suggestions: 1. A team (8-10 members) of individuals must be responsible for verifying residencies, not just one individual, which is now the case. 2. Affidavits should no longer be accepted as proof of residency. 3. Home addresses should be cross-referenced to insure that no more than one family claims the same address. 4. Residency checks should be made at least twice a year. 5. Home visits must be made to verify that a family is really living at the address. 6. Resource officers at each school should check out of county tags (of cars dropping off or picking up students) for residency and then take appropriate action. 7. A procedure must be put in place by the county office that would encourage taxpayers and individual schools to report a suspected out of county student. The taxpayer and/or school should receive a written reply back from the county office within two weeks as to the status of said student. At the present time the Welcome Center does next to nothing to verify residency. Out of county parents know this and bring their children to Fayette County to be educated with our tax dollars. School board members, please aggressively protect the taxpayers and the Fayette County schools from this illegal activity.

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“Starr Time,” “Cat Time,” (fill in the blank) “Time.” How about “Waste of Time”? How can local middle schools justify deducting precious academic time from our children in order to do ... WHAT? My personal understanding and first-hand observations in some of Fayette County’s middle schools observe this as “Wasted-Time” for the majority of students. We pay premium property taxes, therefore we should demand premium use of educational time for all of our students. How about “CLASS-TIME”? I know this idea is extremely outlandish and I admit that I’m not a mathematician, yet it only makes sense that more academic time equals more academic success. Call me crazy ....

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What on earth is going on at Cleveland Elementary School in Fayetteville? Have the administrators completely lost their minds at that school? As parents and students make their ways through the halls each day, we as a community can’t help but see the [those who] belittle, berate, and rip apart the beloved faculty and staff. Yes, parents as well as students are beginning to witness on a daily basis these rantings and ravings. What goes on behind closed doors is their business, but when teachers and paraprofessionals are very publicly verbally and emotionally abused day after day and/or discussed openly when parents/students can overhear (yes, we do have ears in the hallways, the front office, the cafeteria, etc.), it starts to become our business as families and friends of the people who teach our children. Has anyone heard about the crazy fruit basket turnover going on at Cleveland for the 2008-2009 school year? Our administrators have decided to turn the school upside down and inside out by completely rearranging most grade level teams for next year. Our highly qualified and beloved teachers are being moved every which way to different grade levels. What are the administrators hoping to achieve by completely rocking the worlds of the teachers who teach and care for our children? Do they realize that they are not only changing the career paths for so many people, but they are also messing with home lives? Don’t be surprised when most of the faculty and staff request for transfers for the 2009-2010 school year.

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Mayor Harold’s road map to destruction continues. Peachtree City is still dropping in the CNNMoney.com list of best places to live. Maybe CNN didn’t want more huge superstores, either. Leadership and courage aren’t the mayor’s best traits. How about raising the fees for liquor licenses? We can start counting down the days left of the mayor’s shenanigans.

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I like to sit on my patio enjoying the cool air, a newspaper and a glass of orange juice. As an old retired guy who grew up and spent his good years in the small city of Ojai, Calif., it was real change for me to follow my kids and grandkids to Georgia. It’s not what I’m used to but I like Georgia all the same. I have lived here for nearly seven years and I don’t like the way things have changed in that short time. I see how our local politicians are destroying our area every week in the newspaper. The new Kohl’s stores and damaging state laws affecting the local schools are ruining a good thing. I don’t think Mayor Logsdon cares one way or the other what happens. I didn’t vote for him anyway. The thing with the schools is alarming and I think our state people were either scheming or asleep at the switch. My daughter could just punch them, she’s so mad. Mayor Logsdon writes a letter on the police station saying it wasn’t a dump and further down said it was a “landfill.” Isn’t a landfill a dump? This from the same one who promised to lower our taxes and didn’t? A good bit of us are on fixed incomes. I’m worried for my grandkids’ sake. Peachtree City is too nice a place to mess up.

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New and larger school zones in PTC! I am all for the safety of our children and obeying traffic laws, but why now? Some suggest this is a method to balance the city budget. Just like Tyrone did when they reduced the city’s speed limit from 40 to 35 mph. I seriously question the motive behind this move, especially with the costs the city has incurred in relation to the police station and tennis center. Be careful out there, folks. Make certain your car clocks are accurate, as the police will nail you if you are over the speed limit in the school zone by one minute into the times posted.

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Is there a crime problem with our neighbor to the north? No, I am not a newcomer to Fayette County; I have lived here for almost 30 years and have seen many changes in Fayette. The one thing that has never changed is the quality of our outstanding law enforcement. Every evening on the news I sit through the crimes being reported in Clayton County. It has become a major concern for the majority of residents of Fayette County. I know this problem does not stop at the county line. It bleeds over into our neighborhoods, homes and businesses. Therefore I did a little research on the web and found GBI crime statistics for both counties. Yes, Clayton County has more residents. However I doubt Clayton County has 39 times the population of Fayette County. The murder rate comparison is very shocking and gives me great concern, especially with Randall Johnson retiring as sheriff. Sheriff Johnson has always done a fantastic job in keeping the criminals out of Fayette County.

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It’s time that someone who knows the facts responds to this. I’m tired of disgruntled ex-employee’s bashing the Fayetteville Fire Department. The majority of our department has over 10 years on the job, and we take pride in out jobs. We are no laughing stock to anyone. I assure all the citizens of Fayetteville and Fayette County that a competent crew of professionals responds to all your requests for service. The department maintains higher than the required certifications for all services that we provide. It was so highly thought of that we received a grant for $1 million to supplement our staffing. We also received several grants throughout every year to buy needed equipment, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. The reason we receive these grants is because we meet and exceed standards set by the state and the federal government. Our department is run well and the people who are complaining are weak minded and have no will. The reason they are venting is because they could not keep up with professionals.

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It looks like someone else’s feelings have been hurt in this “politically correct” world we live in. No one said you were not a role model. All that was said was why not help the person picking up the trash instead of just saying, “Look, honey, that nice man is picking up trash that other people were too good to throw away themselves.” I understood what was said and meant by the statement, and I sure didn’t take it personally.

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I see that Dennis Chase helped councilwomen Grace Caldwell and Gloria Furr with the destruction of the aquatic and wildlife habitat around the lake at Shamrock Park. Now I understand why he is no longer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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After watching Tyrone’s new council for the past three months, it is obvious that there is something wrong with the two longest serving members, the “GG” girls. Unfortunately, you can’t fix stupid.

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“Man is having a baby.” This is the latest news on a TV talk show so many of us here in Fayette County watch. This story is not true. ( I don’t have to check it out on snopes.com.) This so-called “man” is actually just another female with a womb who chose to have her breasts removed and to take male hormones. Many women have to do this because it will save their very lives. This so-called “man” is a female choosing to live a lesbian lifestyle. She is choosing to have a baby by having a male sperm put into her female womb. She is a female, not a male. Women have babies every day this very same way. When are we going to wake up from this sickness and get excited about news of true miracles in lives? Have we seen the trees this spring giving birth to beautiful green leaves? Now this is a miracle story! True miracles are what we should be talking about on national TV, not stories such as “Male is having a baby.”

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Gas prices being as outrageous and ridiculous as they are, I would like to send a kudos out to Ernest’s Meat Market at the intersection of Tyrone Road and Flat Creek Trail. As of Thursday, April 3, their gas price for regular unleaded was $3.12 per gallon. Flash Foods in Fayetteville was $3.28 and Kroger in PTC was $3.26. I have been keeping up with prices at all three of these places everyday for two weeks now and Earnest comes in lower every time. I can even get 10 cent off at Kroger right now and it was still cheaper at Earnest (actually it’s only 7 cents off because Kroger automatically gives their card holders 3 cents off and when you spend $100 per month they advertise 10 cents off, but when you get to the pump it’s only 7 cents lower than what you could already get it for). Remember to check online for the cheapest gas prices in your area and visit those stores. Also, word of mouth is another way. When I find gas that much cheaper in the same area, I tell every one I know so they can also get the good deals. Come on fellow consumers, let’s fight back. Every little bit helps.

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Three airlines have ceased operations permanently and filed for bankruptcy in the last month. Job losses are over a quarter million so far this year. Homes are being foreclosed on at a rate never before experienced in the history of this country. The reason for all this is looking you straight in the face every time you pull up to a gasoline pump. The billions of dollars being uselessly pumped into Iraq in a hopeless attempt to bring democracy to the most radical uncivilized people on earth is not helping either.

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I was in the waiting room at a doctor’s office a few days ago when a lady with an infant in arms came in. She gave the receptionist a card of some sort. I could not see it. A while later the office lady came out and told the lady she would have to pay cash. The lady said she had no money, and she was told that her baby could not be treated. She left with the sick child. We need a new health care system in this country.