For all of you that voted for the ESPLOST, you made a huge mistake by caving. The district cannot manage money correctly, and all you did was give them more to mismanage. Mark my word that the district will be asking for more money within two years, and all who voted yes will be the first to complain. I can promise you that the education of the children will not get any better, they will waste the money on non-essentials, we will continue to pay for sports, band. You caved, now you will pay.

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I would like to congratulate my husband Neil Sullivan, Tracey Goodman, and the Fayette Citizen’s for Children Committee, who worked tirelessly on the ESPLOST measure. I wanted all of Fayette County to know we started this campaign on behalf of our son Jackson and all his peers who will enter kindergarten in the fall. How wonderful that next year he will attend Peachtree City Elementary and all the up and coming students who will enter Fayette County schools will have the best of the best available to them because the people of Fayette County saw fit to vote for the ESPLOST. As a high school teacher at one of the best schools in the state, I know we produce some of the most desirable students colleges seek in the state. That process starts on the elementary school level and is carried all the way through high school. Even though the governor may continue to cut the state budget for the schools, the money raised through ESPLOST funds will not have to be deferred from funding parapros and our art and music and programs that are threatened whenever we deal with the inevitable budget cuts. Thank you, Fayette County residents, for making the right decision.

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The writer who advised Fayette County citizens to look for their nose ring from the Board of Education is understandably irritated. So am I. Only on one issue do we differ. Not all educators voted for the ESPLOST. I am a Fayette County educator and resident who voted against the ESPLOST. I am disappointed that my fellow taxpayers (and, yes, educators) voted for more taxes, rather than for fiscal responsibility and accountability. While I am not in the majority, I would like to assure the writer of that Free Speech message that not all educators believe money to be a cure-all. We will not effectively teach children responsibility if we do not first model it for them.

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YES! Sunday alcohol sales in Fayetteville! Welcome to the 21st century and when does the party begin?

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So the Peachtree City Council decided to punt the issue of going to one trash pickup provider. Thank goodness they decided to “can” the project and thank goodness it wasn’t CLM had they proceeded. My neighbor’s CLM trash bin has been at curbside going on four days now. And this was the choice we were expected to live with? A message to the City Council members: we’ll be watching. If you decide to suddenly slip this into our continuing growing government involvement in our lives, those who vote for it will not be a city council member come the next election. I will repeat the following as many times as it takes to get it through your thick heads. Those who have issues with multiple trucks on your street need to talk to your neighbors and unify your street on a single provider. Don’t ask the government to do it. It will wind up being as screwed up as the cart path bridge over the railroad tracks.

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To the smoker in the black Explorer with Georgia plates 984ZLX, thanks for throwing your nasty cigarette butt on our highway, Saturday, Nov. 8, 3 p.m. at the traffic light in front of the IHOP. Big SUV like yours didn’t come with an ash tray?

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The continuing saga of the so poorly managed Peachtree City cart path bridge over the railroad is such a joke it’s saddening. The incompetence is unbelievable. The “not my fault” syndrome is just as sickening. Hey, what happened last year when our good mayor Logsdon was going to meet with the governor? Wasn’t he going to bring up our lowly cart path bridge in the discussion and get things moving? What a joke. Do you really think the governor cares one iota about our cart path bridge? The mayor should resign based on that ridiculous overture alone. Now we hear the funding has dried up. Well, isn’t that special? That should have been last year’s headline. Someone tell me, who needs to be fired over this? Of course the mayor is getting fired next election. But somebody else in charge of this project needs to be fired, too. These government officials who are jokingly working their way towards retirement are pathetic.

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Listening to some comments on TV and asking political questions to some people, I realized that most people have a lack of knowledge of the political platform of the presidential candidates and the party that they represent. My point is that sometimes people vote for the most charismatic candidate, but those people don’t know anything about the political program of this candidate. Election Day is one of the most important days for the present and future of a nation. That is why it should be taken seriously. A possible solution for this issue of uninformed voting is to implement voluntary civics and political classes in different areas of the country during election time. For example in Fayette County, it could be positive to implement it in one of the areas of the public library. That means one of the public libraries in every county of the country could set up a political and civics class in order to inform undecided voters about the ideology of every candidate. In conclusion, informing the voting public on political issues will better educate and stimulate people to vote. In consequence it could also be the platform for future changes to the Constitution about the voting system, eliminating the electoral vote, and establishing the popular vote as a direct way to elect a president.

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I just paid my annual property tax to the Fayette County government today. Hope the rest of you folks didn’t forget. Let me point out several lessons learned. The appraisal appeal paperwork is now no longer available when you pay your taxes. Last year I paid in person so I could get the appeal paperwork. The paperwork was provided to me and I actually filled it out in the office and left thinking, correctly, it would be summarily dismissed and my appraisal would remain the same. By the way, your notification that the appeal was dismissed comes in a misleading letter restating your current appraisal value. It is not obvious this is the rejection letter. So last year I missed my opportunity to take the appeal in front of some automaton and make my case personally. I never had the chance since I missed the deadline having not realized the restatement of my appraisal value was the rejection. This year I was told they were too busy to provide the paperwork to us, the taxpayers who they are working for, and was told to come back in January 2009. So handing a form to someone constitutes too much work. This has the ring of Peachtree City government running the cart path bridge over the railroad project fiasco. This year I also noticed that instead of simply stamping your tax notice as “Paid” and letting you take it home with you, they take the top portion of your bill and give you a new official looking piece of paper as your receipt. I broke the code on this one and figured it out after I got home. The appeal process was on the part of the form they kept. Now isn’t that the way to treat your customers? So for the benefit of everyone, let me tell you now, go to the tax office after Jan. 1 to get your appeal paperwork. (They’d never ever think of putting it online for you to simply download.) Then submit it before April 1 lest you be left with next years’ appraisal reevaluation. Don’t forget, the next letter you get from them will be your rejection letter. This is your cue to get on somebody’s calendar to make the appeal in person.

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It’s a sad day in Fayette County when thieves come on your property and steal pecans without asking owner’s permission. Recently adults came on my property and stole pecans. The owner confronted them and asked them to leave. They ignored his request four times to leave. Tyrone Police were called and apprehended these people in record-breaking time. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the two Tyrone officers who caught these individuals. As for the thieves, try asking first for the pecans. I would have given them to you. Witnesses told me the thieves were laughing about their dirty deeds while being detained by police. I did not prosecute this time out of the goodness of my heart. Be assured that next time, I will prosecute to the full extent of the law.

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What is it with the bright blue house color on Merrydale in Huntington South subdivision? Was it an “oops” color from Home Depot? Do they really think that adds value to the home? It looks like some renters were getting revenge and now the whole neighborhood is paying.

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The Republicans had Joe the Plumber; the Democrats have Joe the Vice President.

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I am so tired of seeing Sara Palin on TV. Please go back to Alaska already and get on your snowmobile with your hubby. She is now saying that everything that is being said about her are just nasty rumors and she does not understand why people are saying such mean things. Well, has she ever heard of karma? She had no problem spreading nasty rumors about Obama when she wanted to win. She had no problem calling him a socialist even though when McCain was asked if he thought Obama was a socialist his response was no. She needs to get a reality show with her friend Joe the not licensed plumber and forget about politics for a long time.

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Alright, now you have it. You have officially lost all of your excuses. We’ve had to hear for the last 40 years that all white people were just two minutes away from throwing all black people in chains and tossing them out in the cotton fields. We’ve had to hear that the entire U.S. socioeconomic structure was constructed to keep the black man down. Never mind that every accommodation possible has been made for everyone to succeed. The Koreans, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indians, Mexicans, Central and South Americans, to name a few, came here, started with little or nothing and have become successful. According to you, our system just wasn’t set up for black people to succeed. Well, now, to prove the point for the one-billionth time, a black man has been elected president. Get over it, you have no limitations beyond those that dwell within you. Go and do something and quit blaming the white man for keeping you down. It hasn’t been true for decades, and it’s even less so, now. You can loosen your stranglehold on the civil liberties of the rest of the citizens and use that strong grip to pull yourself up.

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I got The Citizen today, Nov. 5, 2008. This is the day after a phenomenal day in history was made. A day when people from all over the world and from every race, religion and creed were rejoicing about democracy in America. A historic day like this does not come along even every 10 years. Your paper’s front page showed a picture of trees along Lake Peachtree. A small note said, “Visit www.thecitizen.com to see results from Tuesday’s election.” This just reminds me of all the achievements,inventions, and contributions that have been made by the black race that have been hidden, stolen and kept out of our history books. It looks to me like we still have a long, long way to go.

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I have a hard time understanding how greed can drive people to destroy the country that made it possible for them to become wealthy in the first place. I know a little about the oil refinery business and I know the cost of production for diesel is considerably less than the cost of production for regular gasoline. Why is diesel still being sold for more than a dollar a gallon more than regular gasoline? The answer can only be to line the pockets of more greedy oil industry executives. This excessive cost of diesel is what pushes the price of food and other commodities sky-high.