30 AUG 07: PRESIDENTS' DAY

Presidents past, present and potentially future made news in the Columbus area Wednesday. Even Mike Gaymon tried to get into the act with an economic announcement - as President of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

The past and potential future met in Americus, as former President Jimmy Carter strolled around Georgia Southwestern State University with John Edwards. They probably felt right at home with each other. Both are Democrats, both are Southern - but I think Mr. Carter's drawl is a little wider.

John Edwards told a GSW convocation about several of his key campaign issues. For one thing, he's in favor of "universal health care." Some of us would be happier, if he simply had a national plan.

When it comes to world affairs, John Edwards says he wants to establish a dialogue with Iran. Somehow, I think this means Joseph Lieberman would NOT be his Secretary of State....

John Edwards also called for a quick removal of U.S. military personnel from Iraq. Hmmmm - that explains why his speech was in Americus, and not next door to Fort Benning in Columbus.

John Edwards launched his presidential campaign in New Orleans, so he simply HAD to discuss Wednesday's anniversary of Hurricane Katrina coming ashore. Edwards said there needs to be a "surge" of help for hurricane survivors. But would people there become scared simply at the thought of a new storm surge?

John Edwards went on to say the federal government should fund 500 additional police officers in New Orleans. I'm not sure what Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington would think of this. He's quite pro-police -- but he'd want money for at least 25 here.

But there's one big problem with John Edwards's idea. The "CBS Evening News" reported Wednesday that the U.S. government has spent $86 million on crime prevention in New Orleans since Katrina hit. And if all that money's not enough, a new fall TV crime drama is set there....

So what did President Carter think of wanna-be-President Edwards? He expressed admiration, but stopped short of making an endorsement. Some of us who remember Howard Dean's trip to Plains in January 2004 are wondering if that's the campaign kiss of death.

The present President who visited Columbus Wednesday was Zeljok Komsic. He's one of three men who share the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina. So there, you see? If that country can do it, George W. Bush and Al Gore could have done it in 2001.

Zeljok Komsic appeared at Columbus State University - and I'm told he was under tight Secret Service protection. We all know how that vast Serbian community in Columbus likes to rise up and protest.

Zeljok Komsic told WRBL he has several goals for advancing Bosnia-Herzegovina - including having that country join the European Union. This is something I don't quite understand. Didn't his part of the world once have a small-scale version of that? It was called Yugoslavia.

CLASSIC BLOG: We dared to compare John Edwards's Americus trip with a campaign stop he made in downtown Columbus three years ago. Here are highlights from what we wrote 24 Feb 04:

John Edwards told WRBL he opposes any more closings of military bases, and wants U.S. forces brought home from Iraq. Well, it WOULD be embarrassing for soldiers to come home and find their families were transferred 2,000 miles farther away.

As for his economic policy, John Edwards says he wants to provide tax breaks to companies which bring jobs to the U.S. Compare that with President Bush - who wants to bring the immigrant workers in first, before the jobs are ready.

John Edwards visited voters in Albany, before traveling up Highway 520 to Columbus. But he did NOT stop to see Jimmy Carter in Plains, explaining he's trying to reach out to rank-and-file voters. The way the Democratic race has gone, Mr. Carter probably wouldn't have endorsed him, either.

E-MAIL UPDATE: The votes have been counted across East Alabama - but at least one voter wants to add a P.S.:

Richard, Hallelujah! The citizens of East Alabama have spoken. We've had enough! Do you think our elected officials will now get the message? Maybe these elected officials (especially school board members) would like to donate their salaries to the school system instead of asking us property owners for more money. They always can seem to find the money to give themselves pay increases but then whine about how the system needs more money.

And suggestions to Lee County School Board members: 1. Decrease your salaries for your part-time jobs

2. why should we pay for two superintendents? If the Supt. was not doing his job why didn't you fire him instead of paying him to do nothing for the next 4 yrs and hiring another Supt? 3. You might not need as many portables if you got all of the students from Russell County out of the Lee County schools (an on-going problem now for many years) 4. We're tired of hearing about BRAC - these new residents will pay their property (school) taxes. 5. Give the senior citizens a break on school taxes - we've supported the schools for years and many of us are on fixed incomes. It's all a lot of seniors can do to absorb the higher cost of gas for their cars and electricity to heat and cool their homes (AL Power has already had two increases this year!)

6. Let's see you do more with less. 7. Has anyone ever noticed how many "home schooled" kids win the National Spelling Bee and National Geography Bee, etc. And their parents do this with a fraction of the money the public school system spends per child....

A Lee County voter

OK, let's assume the Opelika School Board members gave up their salaries. How large a high school do you think their money would build?

Lee County Superintendent John Painter apparently was only demoted in July because he's under a long-term contract with the school district [20 Jul]. I'm not sure if the school board can treat him like a baseball player, and trade him to Montgomery for an administrator to be named later.

This complaint about Russell County students attending Lee County schools is a new one to me. I've heard of Barbour County students sneaking into Russell County -- so maybe there's a massive rotation going on.

This writer apparently believes the new Fort Benning families will pay so much in property taxes that older people in Lee County might not need to pay anymore. Of course, there's an easy way to accomplish this. Have the older people sell their homes to the new Fort Benning families -- then build high-rise retirement condos in Opelika.

(And speaking of tax breaks, why doesn't this writer propose an exemption for home-school families? Their property taxes are being used to teach other families' students - and those students might struggle someday to win on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader.")

Meanwhile, Phenix City School Superintendent Larry DiChiara declared Wednesday when voters rejected a property tax increase, "they didn't vote for excellence.... They voted for mediocrity." Never mind what that potentially says about himself - why do you think these voters live in Phenix City, instead of Columbus?

I'd better stop there, before the e-mails really start - and check other items which had people talking Wednesday:

+ In that economic announcement we mentioned above, Teen Challenge announced it's moving its headquarters to Columbus. The office already is open, near Tenth and Broadway - a short walk from the Columbus State University RiverPark campus. So students about to lose their HOPE scholarships have a new place to go, besides the Coffee Beanery.

+ Columbus Library Director Claudya Muller told WRBL a Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the library land compromise. So the Education Park Coalition will have to try something different - like bringing in their own sod, to cover bricks laid by the landscapers.

+ Columbus gas stations which had dropped their prices to $2.40 a gallon suddenly raised them about nine cents. C'mon, guys - it was NOT Hurricane Katrina, simply the anniversary of it.

+ BP America donated two solar-powered cars to Georgia Governor Sunny Sonny Perdue. One of them will be used at the Franklin Roosevelt Historic Site in Warm Springs - setting up a potential clash with the Garden Club, if trees need to be cut to keep the car running.

+ The Columbus Catfish swept a doubleheader from Charleston 2-1 and 2-1. The baseball team can clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight, in its final home game of the season. Then a crew should cover Golden Park with shrink-wrap, so it will still be usable next week.

+ Instant Message to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Congratulations. You outlasted Richard Jewell in his lengthy lawsuit. Who's your next opponent, Cynthia McKinney?

COMING FRIDAY: The first big local prediction of the football season....

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