I saw one yesterday at Booth Middle School in PTC - asking the crossing guard if she was at the right school. And no, she didn't move to Fayette, she's lived in Clayton for 10 years and still does. How do I know all this? I saw her later and work and asked if she had moved. She just laughed and said, no she just moved her daughter to a better school. That's the attitude and of course you all know about the do-nothing school board and its enforcement policies.

The sad thing is that this is a very educated and capable parent, the kid seems very respectful and is probably a good student and I'm probably not going to report it - making me a flaming hypocrite.

Hey Knownothing, do the math on how long it would take you to personally respond to Sen. Chance's phone calls and e-mails. I know you think you're his only constituent that matters, since you're all-knowing and all, but lets be realistic. He Reps 5 Counties. VERY conservative estimate that in the past week he has received 250 e-mails per day, and let's say 100 phone calls. Sound fair? I'd say its twice that but we'll go with 250/100. Minimum time to respond to an e-mail personally? 30 seconds (again very conservative). Minimum time to call back a constituent? 3 minutes (probably usually more like an hour). So let's go with those assumptions.

He would be spending 425 minutes per day, or 7 hours five minutes per day responding to his constituents. Let's add that to a 5 hour Senate session, 2 hours of committee meetings, a 1.5 hour roundtrip commute, an hour at Rotary or a school board meeting and maybe 5 hours of sleep (a good State Senator wouldn't DARE get adequate sleep). 21h35m total. That would leave 2 hours 25 minutes per day to earn a living at your real job, spend time with your wife and children, eat food and/or be a human.

Let's compare that with how long it took you to send your self-important e-mail or make your demanding phone call? 30 seconds or 1 minute respectively? Wow, I can't believe he didn't personally call you back....what a tragedy and such a crushing blow to your blowhard ego.

The recent events were just a mass exposure of what many voters already knew about Ronnie. From day one when he first took office, Chance would not respond to his constituents letters when he had the time. People have constantly complained about this for 3 years. Ronnie just wanted to be a politician not a representative. Running unopposed for his 2nd term wasn't a good thing either. It tends to make a politician too over-confident. Let this be a lesson for all candidates for public office that the citizens want responsive representatives. When Ronnie runs for re-election and he will, let's not take another CHANCE.

than to ever post on a blog, but I've already made that mistake. The point I was simply trying to make is that its not realistic to expect your State Senator to reply personally to every correspondence they receive. We are not a direct democracy, we are a Republic, meaning the people elect their leaders to represent them NOT TO DO THEIR EVERY BIDDING. it is fine and fair to expect much of your leaders, but to think that every citizen today can have a dialogue with their President, Senator, or even councilman with something as informal and effortless as an e-mail is a ridiculous fallacy. Sure, if you're happy to receive an auto-pen mass letter or an intern's generic response then the situation is different (and that is what you are receiving when you get a response from others). But to me those types of responses are as worthless as doing nothing. If you need to speak with your Senator, go to the Capitol, see him at an event and in person. After all, thats how it had been done for two hundred years of our democracy. Just because you have this new tool of e-mail doesn't suddenly mean that your State Senator sits at his desk awaiting your mighty and powerful typing.

If your goal is to revel in tearing down someone who has burned the candle at all ends doing a very good job representing you, then have at it. If you are so inclined why don't you do the honorable thing and confront him about it personally. Instead this online community is content to throw grenades from afar with a cloak over your face. Respect for dissent is certainly a foundational principal for our democracy and for that reason go right on ahead with your tarring and feathers. But if you truly are concerned for the welfare of your community, the strength of your local democracy and the decorum of debate why not be a tad more constructive with your time by asking smart questions in a respectful manner. Disagree with his actions or his policy, but take the good with the bad instead of jumping on the bandwagon. You're all very clever and witty and I'm sure the Peabody award committee is reviewing your posts right this minute for accolades. But take just a minute, I beg you, to think twice about inflaming the slander of this man. What has he truly done? He was so unfortunate as to be hoodwinked by a member of his delegation, was alerted to it, fixed the problem immediately and atoned for his mistake of mere oversight. If your head was demanded every time you forgot something or overlooked a detail I dare say you would not have made it past three, nor would I.

Had Sen. Chance voted against this bill he wouldn’t find himself in the position of having to respond to 1,000’s of emails/phone calls in the first place.

What a maroon! (Bugs Bunny)

The recent “C.Y.A.” attempts of Rep. Ramsey and Sen. Chance remind me of the great Abbot and Costello, “Who’s on First”.

Now Rep. Ramsey apparently wants to step in it again with his epiphany of:
“The charter school’s petition typically seeks waivers for exemptions from state education mandates, regulations, policies and procedures which are built into their contract with the state.”

“In exchange for this flexibility, the charter school is bound by contract to be held accountable for meeting the performance-based objectives specified in the charter.”

What the hell do we spend our tax dollars on with the FCBoE if not to be held accountable for meeting the performance-based objectives?

Is it so difficult for either of these two to understand that we’ll vote them out of office if they keep representing the interests of Clayton County over Fayette County?

There are many ways to respond to communication in an organized fashion, particularly through the use of volunteer interns. Anyone ever involved in the legislative/constituent process knows that. Why do you think the "Auto-Pen" was invented?

Homesweethome exhibits that arrogant, contemptous attitude displayed by former State Senator Rick Price. He would walk in his office, retrieve his phone messages and except for a couple of influential callers the rest got the trash can. And, when questioned on a matter, he always said "Call your State Rep." His successor Mitch Seabaugh took a little while but became equally as unresponsive (unless he needed something).

The subject of no response by Chance extends to several local elected officials. You would think that the likelihood of some official reason for the call would prompt Chance to call the official. No, he is too busy.

I would also say this---- I cannot remember a single time Dan Lakly did not return my call. Was he superhuman? Was I the only one who ever called him?

when the message is identical to the last thousand? You think he wasn't aware of the issue, you think he didn't get it the first time? What exactly were you going to say to the man that he didn't already know? I think I know, you wanted to belittle and chastise him, telling him you knew better and he didnt. You wanted to climb high atop your tower and verbally rain down upon him for being so moronic as to miss a single word slipped in a bill that bears a striking resemblance to the one it replaced. Well, I hope you have received some personal solace from the nightmare you all have rained down upon this man. I am sure that your pointless service job is just that much more bearable because you have belittled a much better man than you. Really, take the solace. Because your message has been delivered a thousand times over by this rag and those thousand e-mails. You have done your democratic duty to hold a candle where there was already a forest fire, congratulations. I'm truly sorry that Senator Chance didn't return your call, I'll go grab some kleenex.

of all the things these officials can do to us and do to us, they cannot put themselves in office. They require us to do that for them. USE YOUR POWER. Keep the faith.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Do your job correctly without endangering your constituency and you won't become inundated with all that hate mail. Remember you are our senator and not the errand boy of Silly Purdue. Your loyalties and primary concerns are those of us with the "blowhard ego's" as you put it.

What we need is a bunch of Dan Lakly's to step up to the plate.

________

The Sissy And The Word Defined

Ronnie Chance sat on the Capitol wall, Ronnie Chance had a great fall, all the Governor's horses and all the Governor's men, couldn't put Ronnie back together again.