10 JAN 06: ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL

The bandwagon began rolling Monday on a big new civic improvement plan in Columbus. The School Board is for it. Columbus Council probably will be for it. Republicans are for it. Democrats are for it. You can tell the "One Columbus" dinner is this week, can't you?

The Muscogee County School Board was first to approve a one-cent sales tax proposal. BUT the penny would be divided between the school board and Columbus city government. It borrows from that old carol: If you can't vote for a penny, a hay-penny will do - if you can't approve a hay-penny, God bless you.

School Board President Mary Sue Polleys explained under this plan, the schools and the city would share a one-cent sales tax - as opposed to each imposing their own tax. Well, I did hear someone say you can lose weight by dividing a big meal into two parts.

In fact, supporters of this "split sales tax" said Monday it actually could lead to lower city or school taxes in some ways. For instance, ad valorem taxes might come down - just like taxes with set deadlines actually might be allowed to expire, with no politicians proposing a renewal.

We're told this "split sales tax" idea has been in the planning stages for several years. Yet this is the first I've heard of it -- so where have I been? Kept outside those Callaway Gardens retreats, I guess....

But several hurdles must be cleared before this split sales tax can take effect. For one thing, the Georgia Legislature must approve it as a constitutional amendment. Can Seth Harp and Calvin Smyre work together on this in an election year - yet avoid posing together for photos, which might hurt their campaigns?

Under Georgia law, constitutional amendments can go on the ballot only once every two years. So if the split sales tax doesn't happen this year, it can't go to voters until 2008. But that WOULD give more time for Columbus leaders to convince people in Savannah we need to be taxed some more.

There may be plenty of questions on your mind about this split sales tax right now. As my church pastor once said during a service, this idea is in its "initial first beginning" - which I think is a double redundancy....

Two questions came to my mind as I reflected on this proposal. First, what would this split sales tax do to Mayor Bob Poydasheff's talk about a new one-cent city sales tax? Has he decided we only need to hire half as many police officers - or maybe put them all on bicycles, instead of in cars?

The second question involves whether this sales tax split would be 50-50 or not, between Muscogee County schools and Columbus city government. Will each entity have to trim its "wish list" of projects in half? Will Rigdon Road Elementary School only half its north end replaced?

E-MAIL UPDATE: You might call this the "e-mail combo platter" - starting with the Arch Card we used at a McDonald's the other night:

You know, Richard, these cards are actually a good thing for handling panhandlers [7-8 Jan]. They can be used only for food or beverage purchases. Certainly, someone could try to resell one, but I doubt anyone would be bothered to buy one since the value is likely to be less than $5 (at least it would be if I gave one to a needy person).

I have enjoyed great goodwill and no guilt when I have given in this manner. This is no small thing, trust me.

Anyway, thanks for your kudos in the recap of your blog year [1 Jan]. I must admit, I am proud of the honor!

Now, when do I get my prize? I won the trivia contest and never heard from you as to redemption. Of the prize. Did it perhaps fall into the Chattahoochie during one of your runs?

Seriously, keep up the good work. I enjoy your site very much. God bless you.

Cheers.

Ed Joyce

Valley Village, CA

Do you think Ed misunderstood the news - and thought e-mail prices went up Monday, along with the postage rates?

Ed raises a very good point about Arch Cards. The one I had actually came in the mail, with an offer for an American Express card. That'll teach some of you to throw away your junk mail without opening it....

It was a promotional Arch Card, worth only one dollar. So it would have bought the beggar downtown one cup of coffee, but not quite two. It barely would have bought him a McChicken sandwich from the "dollar menu" -- and some of these people are so hungry, they'd only be happy with two Big Macs.

(By the way, the woman at McDonald's confiscated my Arch Card after I used it. She explained it was promotional, and could NOT be recharged. C'mon now - if I can keep a real one handy for beggars, I can also keep a false one for muggers.)

Several cities have adopted the approach of giving beggars "meal tickets," in the form of coupons. Regular blog readers will recall the man I met in Memphis last year [26 May 05], with the Burger King certificates in his pocket. Yet he asked
me for food money, anyway - as if he really used those coupons as bookmarks.

The "kudos" for Ed Joyce are because we named his suggested name for the Pope our 2005 Blog Joke of the Year. But does he actually expect a PRIZE for that?! I didn't even prepare pricy gift baskets for all the nominees....

Yes, Ed Joyce won our first "Blog Baffler" question last year - and I've been waiting for a "snail mail" address from him, for sending his prize. (No, I will NOT post it here.) It's either that, or 500 free entries in those European online lotteries which I seem to win twice a week.

Now for other odds and ends, from news of the last few days:

+ A big welcome home to hundreds of Third Brigade soldiers! They flew back from Iraq, in what was billed as the biggest one-day homecoming in Fort Benning history. I think the biggest homecoming in Columbus history happens each year, when Carver plays Spencer in high school football.

+ An evening jog on the Riverwalk found it's now closed from Rotary Park east. There's sewer work going on near the Chattahoochee River, apparently for that new driver's assistance call center. So be warned: these new workers may be expected to drink a lot of coffee.

+ The Georgia legislative session opened with lawmakers approving cameras for every county election board, so the boards can provide voter identification cards. Apparently the lobbyists for Camera One didn't show up in Atlanta on time....

+ Alabama's Supreme Court ruled a Montgomery church pastor cannot be sued for damages, if he has an affair with a married church secretary. Then again, adulterous ministers already should know they're going to pay - especially if they preach that "the wages of sin is death."

SCHEDULED WEDNESDAY: Time for a tussle in Taylor County?....

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