Well, well, well, another 14 percent pay cut recommended for the Delta pilots by their OWN union. Let’s see what those 5,930 pilots do now. Meekly stay quiet and be thankful they have a job is what I predict. What else are they going to do? Those pilots can PRACTICE a strike but do they have what it takes to really do it?

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The absolute gall of the Logsdon bunch is astounding. He’s negotiating to use our tax dollars to pay back loans that don’t belong to us. I used to think the Bobby Lenox regime was the low point for us. Logsdon’s ability to handle the sordid details behind the closed door has set a new standard, much to our detriment. This kind of blatant disregard for the public could only happen in Peachtree City.

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If our town leaders here in PTC agree to pay one penny of our money (even the motel tax) to the lawyers involved, much less the $1.5 million claimed by the Peachtree National Bank, then we should begin impeachment meetings. This was a loan by the bank to an independent organization, signed by that organization, and if they don’t hold title to the property, then they don’t have anything coming now. They made a bad loan which was squandered on salaries and a leaky building.

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I subbed at Whitewater High School one time last year. I also was treated rudely by the front office. I just won’t substitute there again.

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To the sub that didn’t like Whitewater H.S., come sub at FMS. The front office and administration are very helpful and supportive. I’ve subbed at all of the middle schools and high schools in the county. Fayette Middle’s office staff, teachers and administrators are the best.

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A Free Speech writer last week asked, “Is the CRCT the main purpose of Fayette County education?” Well, yes, it is. And we can all thank those wonderful people in Washington. You know, the ones who went into the nation’s capital saying they would get the federal government out of state and local politics. So one way they did it was to force No Child Left Behind on local school districts. Now that teachers and schools are held accountable by the feds for any and all failures, including those of lazy students or those of students whose parents don’t care, yes, testing is the main purpose of education, not just here but anywhere a public school has to keep the federal government happy. [Last] week, in high schools across the county, students [were] taking end of course tests that will reflect whether the schools have succeeded in being perfect or not. And the schools are running so scared of the federal government that teachers have been instructed to not give any other tests or challenging assignments so that the students can “concentrate” on doing well in the EOCTs. All this despite the fact that at least 90 per cent of them could pass the EOCTs blindfolded or in a coma. So, yes, thanks to Washington, testing is now the main purpose of Fayette County education and elsewhere. Our future leaders will be able to bubble in answers, but don’t count on them to have any strong thinking skills. But at least, ideally, no child will be left behind. Or else.

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I just took Fayetteville’s Comprehensive Plan Public Opinion Survey. It was a very misleading and vague survey. I tried to go back to reference the specifics of what needs to be better addressed, but the program won’t allow me to look at it again. There was no “comments” section, which would have remedied the vagueness of the questions. When it asks if something is considered important to the council or not, that does not read well. If something is not considered important, that doesn’t mean it should be. Very very poorly written and presented survey. I hope they don’t interpret it however they want, but will add comments and allow a second look input so they can get the public voter feedback they appeared to be seeking.

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Piedmont Hospital in Fayette is a major disappointment. Your article on Piedmont’s practice of turning people away from their emergency room was very distressing. I had known for quite some time that their wait times were extraordinary but your article in The Citizen was an eye-opener. I am impressed that you found that story. I remember 10 years ago the full court press that Piedmont put on to get this hospital approved, competing against other neighboring hospitals. And now they refuse to provide the resources to service our community in the most basic way. Why are they doing this? Probably because many emergency room patients have no money or insurance. And since the Governor has given emergency rooms freedom from malpractice suit you would think that the doctors and the hospitals would increase this basic service. I guess not. But I will bet that the Piedmont doctors have no waiting line at all if you have insurance and want something like plastic surgery. Cha-ching.

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Can someone please explain “The Gate That Leads Nowhere,” located by the Pendleton subdivision community pool in Tyrone? I have lived here over seven years and it has never been completed and is an eyesore with its peeling paint and just plain weirdo look. Isn’t there something in the bylaws that requires completing projects that are started? I want to sell my house soon and this detracts from the neighborhood. Please either finish it or tear it down.

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It’s time for the officials and general public in Fayette County to take a look at the Fayette County Baseball Association. Last Saturday was opening day, every field was full of players (13 fields with at least 24 players), along with parents and friends that came to watch. So we have at least 700 people at the baseball fields and [the association] has closed the bathrooms. This wasn’t voted on by the board (I called a board member and asked). I was told that it was [the president]’s decision just because he wanted to. So what does he do? He puts porta-potties on the sides of some of the fields. Can you imagine what these are going to smell like when it hits 90 degrees plus there’s no place to wash your hands? Of course, all of the members of the board have their own keys to the bathrooms. We have watched them go in. This is supposed to be a non-profit organization and not the [president’s] association. I’d like to see where the money is going. I know the board gets new shirts, jackets, stickers for their vehicles and there’s no telling what else they are profiting from our money while the people who pay to play have to use porta-potties. I’d love to see an audit done for this “non-profit” to see just how bad they are abusing their positions. It’s time for this president to leave. You don’t own this field; the taxpayers do and that’s us. This president could care less about our kids, the parents and visitors and more concerned about his control over the baseball fields. Get over it, [president], and do what’s best for the association and resign.

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Everyone take notice. As the elections draw nearer, there will be more illegal immigrant “raids.” It’s just posturing. The problem didn’t start with the Bush administration either. For years we have allowed the federal government to wink at the situation. When it was just those coming in to harvest the crops, we didn’t care. When a few more came in to work in the poultry plants and carpet mills, we still didn’t care. No one else wanted those jobs. When still more came in to work in the building trades and highway construction, we didn’t care, because no one else wanted those jobs either. We are like the dog in the manger about the Mexicans. They come in to the country and thrive, working jobs no one in this country will take. Now we are in a situation where we have a building boom that is staffed by illegal immigrants. Thirty years ago, the problem could have been solved easily. The people are now here, working and contributing. Let’s figure a way to allow them to pay their fair share of taxes, and keep them here. It’s the people who won’t work we should be sending elsewhere.

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So we arrested 1,200 illegal workers last week to start the campaign for this fall’s elections. Don’t hold your breath here in Fayette County until the next 1,200 are arrested, maybe in September. We have that many illegal roofers and gardeners alone here. Does the sheriff or the police chiefs want any of them? Does Sonny? No.

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Shock and awe, mission accomplished, we got him, 150 thousand Iraq troops ready to fight terrorists alone, Afghanistan free and operating, and on and on. What will now distract us: $5 gasoline or gas lines? Maybe bombing Iran? Fire more staff, maybe? Put more like Abramoff in jail? How about doubling the national debt again? Maybe replace FEMA and the wonderful foreign intelligence we have, and maybe the Homeland Security Department? How about the wonderful health plan produced in the last six years? Ten million more now without insurance. Social Security has been save —no, wait, it hasn’t. Was all this the plan of the conservatives?