26 APR 07: THE NEWT IN THE SUIT
A national campaign came to downtown Columbus Wednesday. It featured a man rumored to be a presidential candidate. But he was NOT in town to talk about elections or politics. Does this mean Georgia has dropped to "second-tier" status for the 2008 primary?
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich addressed the Columbus Rotary Club - but his focus was on diabetes education. For political reporters, this is a bit like Barack Obama coming to your town to lead a panel discussion on National Malaria Awareness Day.
Newt Gingrich actually made his second visit here in two years, promoting a project called "Healthy Columbus." If I had known he was coming, I would have asked for a second opinion on the fluid in my lungs....
The national campaign Newt Gingrich is leading is called Healthy Transformations. It emphasizes making the right choices in terms of diet and exercise, to avoid developing diabetes. Come to think of it, I ought to be eating more fruit-filled doughnuts.
Newt Gingrich says one key to diabetes prevention is getting 30 minutes of exercise every day. We'd like to thank Columbus gas stations for supporting this - because if prices keep going up, a lot more people will be walking to work.
Newt Gingrich warned diabetes is a family issue, because children could develop blindness and kidney disease if the problem isn't treated quickly. Isn't this an amazing discovery? There actually IS something where if young people don't stop it, they'll go blind.
It's all very simple to Newt Gingrich. As he explained to WRBL, proper diet and exercise will prevent diabetes, allow you to live longer - "and the cheaper you'll be." You knew the supply-side economics side of him would come out at some point....
Newt Gingrich wants Columbus hospitals to offer low-cost diabetes screenings to people younger than 65, who aren't covered by Medicare. If he can convince Summit Hospital in Phenix City to offer this, it might only be available for a couple of months - before the money runs out.
All the diabetes awareness is nice and noble. But c'mon here - Newt Gingrich tends to show up among the top five names, in Republican polls about Presidential candidates. People in that league like to get "TV face time" anyway they can get it....
But Newt Gingrich officially is "on the fence" when it comes to the 2008 Presidential race. He told Columbus reporters again Wednesday he'll make a decision about that later in the year -- perhaps after Republicans decide Rudolph Giuliani is too liberal, Mitt Romney is too much of a Mormon, and John McCain has too loose a mouth.
You may not realize Newt Gingrich has Columbus roots. He graduated from the old Baker High School. Asked about that building Wednesday, Gingrich said he understood why the Muscogee County School District has put it up for sale. If his picture isn't hanging in a distinguished graduate hallway....
E-MAIL UPDATE: Our illness has put up a bit behind on your messages. Let's start with a reply to an e-mail complaint from Sunday:
The repaving of Manchester Expressway is the worst paving job I have ever seen. I have asked these questions of the DOT.
Where were the highway inspectors as the work progressed?
Why was the contractor allowed to continue on the western leg after they so obviously did an unacceptable job on the eastern section?
Why won't the DOT answer questions about the job?
How many millions of tax dollars been paid to the contractor?
The writer has sent us no answer to the questions yet - so perhaps the Georgia Department of Transportation has orders from the local Library Board to keep quiet.
I'd be asking if the state is allowed to change contractors on a road project like this, in the middle of the work. This could be a case where a contract is a contract from start to finish - and you can't make four changes a game, like Bobby Cox does.
All the complaints in the newspaper and here may be accomplishing something. I understand work crews are back on Manchester Expressway this week, trying to level the road. So much for the theory that Bill Heard is about to add a Hummer dealership, and needs a test track.
And speaking of Mr. Heard, here's a comment on our main Wednesday topic:
Mr B.
Where does one go when they are no longer employable of by Bill Heard Chevy of Columbus?... Bill Heard Baptist of Columbus of course. Interestingly enough a former hi up at Bill Heard Is now making six figures at Bill Heard Baptist doing "community relations" no doubt.
Give me that Old Time religion....
Mark
"Community relations" at a church?! Some of us can remember when this was called door-to-door preaching.
Several of you have e-mailed to express concern about our illness, and we thank all of you for your kind words. Here's one message from Ohio:
Glad to hear you are going to be OK. From the cryptic note at the top of your blog I wondered. Then when Boris Yeltsin kicked off, well you know they say it happens in threes.
Over the years I have had to take my wife to the emergency room a number of times. I'm quite certain someone could expire there and they wouldn't notice for hours.
One time a guy came staggering up to the check in desk clutching his chest and complaining of chest pains. Obviously they scrambled, got him a wheelchair and taken right back. About 30 minutes later he comes strutting out of there. Don't know what his problem was but those who had been waiting for hours were not amused. He's lucky they didn't beat him to death.
Glad you are back
Thanks for your.... hey, wait a minute! Comparing me to Boris Yeltsin?! Do you think someone hired a Russian spy to put poison in my dinner?!
(Come to think of it, maybe we should expect more spy antics like that during this year. After all, it's 2-007.)
When I had painful breathing problems early Sunday morning, I really didn't give much thought to visiting the emergency room. I go to Urgent Care centers instead, because that's what emergency room staffs recommend. And early on a Sunday morning, I might have been the only person in the E.R. who hadn't been out partying for hours.
After three days of the three-part prescription plan, I'm sleeping in bed again - and fairly comfortably at that. The pain around the rib cage is gone, to make that possible. But I'm still prone to occasional coughing fits - although I can't really compare my "hacking" to a teenage computer geek anymore.
OVERHEARD OVER HERE: A man in a Columbus office walks by a TV set, and sees this year's best-known American Idol contestant.
"Is that that guy - Sanjay Gupta?"
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