5 DEC 07: HARP'S ON IT

It was supposed to be a day for dreaming - for preparing goals for next year's Georgia legislative session. But one local lawmaker had other ideas Tuesday. He decided to speak out about the Muscogee County School District - and if he had anything nice to say about the Carver High School football team, it didn't make the evening news.

State Senator Seth Harp took the school board to task, during the annual "legislative luncheon" at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. He said the board should reconsider plans for a $27 million administration building. Of all the times to bring this up! The old Sears automotive center is almost torn down.

Seth Harp explained the planned school administration building is receiving criticism at the state and federal education levels. I'm tempted to say it's from career politicians who are a little jealous....

But Seth Harp didn't put it that way. He says it's going to be hard to lobby for extra money for Muscogee County Schools, when so many millions are set aside for an administration building. It's as if he's saying: BRAC first, bric-a-brac second.

Seth Harp wondered aloud how the Muscogee County School Board can justify spending so much on an administration building, when it couldn't afford textbooks for a while. Hmmmm - how many accounting textbooks had to be replaced?

Muscogee County school spokesperson Valerie Fuller released a reply statement to WRBL. She explained the new administration building is needed because district staff currently works in four different buildings. So? Aflac and Synovus would consider that a sign of progress....

But Seth Harp may have a point here. Superintendent John Phillips has made numerous trips to Washington, asking for federal money to help Muscogee County Schools prepare for base realignment. Could that expensive administration building be the reason no money has come yet? Would it help if space was added for a PeachCare clinic?

Scoffers might note Seth Harp's big issue at the last Georgia General Assembly session had little to do with education. It was his failed effort to legalize Sunday liquor sales at grocery and convenience stores. At least, I never heard him explain how the tax money from every six-pack of beer would help a child learn.

The fire of Seth Harp's comments overrode anything else that happened at the legislative luncheon. As I write this, I don't know what the city's priorities are for next year's Georgia legislature. Maybe the Chamber of Commerce found a new top goal - to find a challenger for someone to run against Harp in the next election.

Now a quick check of other Tuesday news:

+ WLTZ reported Dr. Robert Wright is making a record million-dollar donation to Columbus Technical College. The money will be used to build the new health sciences building on River Road. I guess it wouldn't have looked right for Golden Donuts down the street to make that donation.

+ Columbus Council heard complaints from some residents of the Forest Park neighborhood. They fear Green Acres cemetery will use a proposed new road to clear land for more burial space. These residents must not have enjoyed the movie "A View to a Kill."

(Would you be upset if your home was next to a cemetery? I can understand why the John B. Amos Cancer Center has windows facing the opposite way from Linwood Cemetery. But plenty of small churches across the South have graveyards next to their buildings - and worshipers actually hope overturned gravestones will crash into their cars someday.)

+ Police in Florence, Alabama reported a church received a pizza delivery with marijuana mixed in. I have only one question about this - was it "veggie pizza" or not?

+ Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino refused to name a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against New Orleans. At this point in the season, there's only one way to get people interested in this -- and have Glenn Burns draw the starter's name during a Georgia Lottery broadcast.

+ Basketball's Philadelphia 76ers fired general manager Billy King, one day after the Atlanta Hawks won there for the first time in four years. I'm not sure if this is a sign the Hawks finally are improving - or if the Sixers' ownership considered it the ultimate insult.

+ Instant Message to WLTZ News: OK, that was a nice "exclusive" you had on Robert Wright's big donation. But then you show pictures from an "iron chef" competition which occurred two weeks ago?! Is this news like some FM radio stations - with "today's hits, and the best old school?"

THE BLOG OF AMERICA: "Last Call" with Carson Daly returned to first-run programs early Tuesday, defying the Writers' Guild strike. Daly said it came after an ultimatum from NBC - which is interesting, because some of us would enjoy watching "Poker After Dark" a little earlier.

+ NBC announced it's returning "Law and Order" to Wednesday nights in January, with all-new episodes. It was run off from that time slot by the success of "CSI: New York" -- so maybe this time, Prosecutor McCoy's office will be equipped with microscopes.

+ President Bush defended his concern about Iran's nuclear potential. He told a White House news conference Iran will be dangerous, "if they have the knowledge to develop a nuclear weapon." Maybe the answer isn't a military invasion -- it's a secret mission to stop Iranian computers from doing Google searches.

(A National Public Radio reporter kept a count, and said President Bush described Iran as a "danger" at least 14 times. Some Democrats wish he had also counted how many times the President mispronounced "nuclear.")

+ Commanding General David Petraeus told National Public Radio when it comes to achieving peace in Iraq, "you can't end a conflict by shooting everybody...." Well, of course not. Conservatives would recommend we learn a lesson of history - and drop atomic bombs instead.

+ A court in Naples, Italy ordered Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Tweety Bird to appear Friday at a counterfeiting trial. [True/Mail.com] The case involves fraudulent use of cartoon images - so what will Tweety's testimony be? "I tawt I taw a wook-awike. And I DID! I did tee a wook-awike!"

+ An executive with Bank of America told a Senate hearing when banks increase their credit card interest rates, people tend to make larger payments. Some Senators were skeptical - but think of it this way. The closer you come to the electric chair, the more likely you are to admit the crime.

(Some Senators raised a fuss because credit card customers who pay on time are being assigned higher interest rates. But if the "on-timers" pay off their balance in full, what's the problem? It's like telling a vegetarian he's now limited to only one meat portion a day.)

+ The annual "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" telecast was marred by accusations that the company buys clothing from workers in sweatshops. The workers in Jordan reportedly are paid 75 cents an hour -- so while they aren't paid much, at least their lingerie doesn't cover much.

+ Yahoo reported Britney Spears has been the number-one search topic on its web site this year. And why not? She does something new and outlandish almost every day - while Senator Larry Craig does that only about once a month.

+ Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was named Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year." So how many members of the staff dared to nominate Michael Vick?

+ Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry had his suspension for a drug violation revoked. Henry claimed he flunked a National Football League marijuana test because of second-hand smoke. Then again, everything he does is second-hand - like taking handoffs from the quarterback.

+ Gibson unveiled the next wave in musical instruments - a guitar which tunes itself. I was going to say musicians won't have to fret about that anymore. But then I remembered guitars are made with frets.

E-MAIL UPDATE: One of our Blog of America items Monday inspired a reader to set us straight....

I was recently reading your blog (as I do now and again) and came across something just a little bit off.

You wrote about an auction where a truffle went for over $300,000 and then said something about candy prices going to 1/2 price December 26th.

The truffle at auction was not a candy. There are truffles and there are truffles. The truffle that is a candy is absolutely nothing like the other. The truffle at auction was an extremely hard to find MUSHROOM. They are highly valued for their use in hi-dollar cuisine world wide.

Here is a link to the Reuter's article and I am also adding a picture of the truffle sold at auction to this email....

Sorry if I stepped on any toes I just wanted to say for the record this truffles price wouldnt go down with the candy prices. H**k, if they had put it on ebay it would have sold for even more ... LOL

Glenn

Thanks for the correction, which teaches me two things. First, I should be careful not to base my jokes simply on web site headlines. Second, I should never trifle with a lover of truffles.

This blog has thousands of visitors each month, from people in Columbus and around the world. To advertise to them, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 1757 (+ 64, 3.8%)

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

© 2003-07 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.