13 FEB 07: TWO CENTS-ABLE?

The wheels are now officially turning for not one, but two one-percent sales tax questions in Columbus. Think of those two pennies as wheels on a bicycle, pushing Columbus forward - as long as you pedal as hard as you can, by dining out every other day.

Columbus Council didn't waste any time handling its one-percent sales tax proposal. As soon as Mayor Jim Wetherington presented it at Tuesday's meeting, the council voted to put it on the July primary ballot. The council election isn't until November -- so voters will have plenty of time to turn their love for the city into anger with its leadership.

(The mayor ought to thank the Ledger-Enquirer for that quick vote. Front-page headlines noting a 250-percent increase in the Columbus rape count may have sparked a call or two....)

Mayor Wetherington repeated his plan to divide the one-percent sales tax money into two parts: 70 percent for public safety and 30 percent for roads. Hopefully the roads will be paved first -- or else the money spent on new patrol cars will be wasted in repair shops.

Mayor Wetherington told reporters after the Columbus Council meeting that we've "got to stop the revolving door" in public safety personnel. This means the new precinct buildings planned with the sales tax money will have the usual door structure - and revolving door fans will have to go to hotels.

Jim Wetherington campaigned for mayor on a public safety platform. But he's added roads to the sales tax question because infrastructure is now one of the top two issues in Columbus -- and I can't wait to see Victory Drive widened from six to eight lanes, near Fort Benning.

Mayor Wetherington seems prepared to put his reputation in the forefront, in the city sales tax question. He told reporters: "I've spent my entire adult life trying to help the citizens of Columbus, Georgia." Well, except when he got caught in that revolving door and became a Georgia corrections commissioner....

As of Tuesday, Columbus had 14 public safety job openings. That's an improvement from a couple of years ago - but Mayor Jim Wetherington dreams of putting 100 more police officers on the streets. I didn't realize base realignment was bringing that many rowdy soldiers to Fort Benning.

(It was interesting to read the police officer job description on the city's web site Tuesday night. One physical requirement is that you must "be able to distinguish between shades of color." We'd like to thank the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition for demanding that stipulation.)

But the city's job vacancy list is revealing, because a nurse at the Muscogee County Jail can make a higher starting salary than a police officer with a bachelor's degree. The nurse has another advantage besides money - because she doesn't have to go undercover to handle needles.

We should note the proposed city one-percent sales tax is NOT being called a SPLOST. It's officially a "Local Option Sales Tax" - which seems strange to me, because who wants to vote for a LOST cause?

So what about that other one-percent sales tax? The Muscogee County School Board is working on that, because its current tax mandate expires in August. They can't clear the rubble and begin that new administration building soon enough....

The Muscogee County School Board voted this week for a list of projects to be prepared -- projects to be funded by a renewed one-percent sales tax. Hopefully school officials have learned from the last year or two. We're expecting computer boards to be in the principal's offices, instead of private restrooms.

But WRBL noted Tuesday night the school district sales tax may not appear on the ballot until September or November. That might be good, so voters don't confuse it with the city sales tax question. Good for the city, that is - because a lot of critics want the school part voted down.

Columbus Council candidate Jeremy Hobbs is a leading spokesman for "splitting the ticket" when it comes to local sales tax votes. He calls it "give a penny, take a penny." But if you take the penny away from the school district now, won't you be paying dollars later - for all those school magazine sale fundraisers?

Meanwhile, the Russell County Commission dared to discuss another tax proposal Tuesday - a ten-percent county gasoline tax. I thought the former mayor of Macon was the only elected official in the South who admired Venezuela's Hugo Chavez....

THE BIG BLOG QUESTION about a different kind of moneymaking venture ended Tuesday night. The vote was overwhelming, with 86 percent of you opposing a subscription fee for this blog. Thank you for confirming what I somewhat suspected all along - you're cheapskates, much as I am.

Only 14 percent of the voters were interested in paying for something on this blog - and that's only if it's "special content." So perhaps I have a slight chance of making the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue next year....

The outcome of this vote really didn't surprise me. We tried to offer a subscription joke service called LaughLine around the world for three years - and it was canceled in 2002, with less than a dozen subscribers. So yes, I know how Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich feel this winter.

Several readers left lengthy comments and suggestions about this survey. They didn't leave PayPal donations, but at least they left something....

One reader suggested putting advertisements on the blog. Every time we post, we invite readers to advertise with us near the bottom of the entry. If businesses haven't noticed that by now - well, we'll try something different and more attention-getting today. Assuming bigger is better, this could work.

Another reader said charging for access to a blog takes "a healthy dose of.... self-appreciation." I think that's how politically correct people say "ego" nowadays.

Then there was the reader who voted for us to add paid special content, and declaring this blog "priceless." My computer thesaurus shows that word can mean "expensive" -- and admittedly, it has probably cost me a few nice invitations to parties.

That last reader actually became the focus of our updated Big Blog Question Tuesday night -- and this e-mail is the reason why:

Sir Richard:

I took the opportunity to vote and comment on the "Pay Blog question." I"m sure that you've seen them by now. But now, I would like to offer further thought - and issue a challenge!

I'm confident that your readers are just that! Readers They are not, per- se, Contributors. They are the kind that would "Never buy a cow, when the milk is free!" Case in point; "Hurt'sboro Mondays. Less than a dozen responded! [4 Jun 07]

I'm willing to wager if you posed a question about me; either pro or con, that there would be little notice taken! In fact, if a worthy number of votes were counted against me; I would be willing to quit sending submissions to your site!!

You have nothing to lose except a regular contributor, and it might indicate your effectiveness in arousing more than latent interest, and stirring people into action!

Constable R.J. Schweiger

This message is interesting, because of what someone else with an interest in Hurtsboro has told me in recent weeks. That person suggested we stop posting all e-mails from Constable Schweiger, because they only "feed his ego." Based on that theory, we should ignore all of the presidential candidates until the final debates next fall.

This blog firmly believes in freedom of speech -- and we've allowed our e-mailers to express that here for five years. Some have only written once. Constable R.J. Schweiger has written dozens of times. If we ban him now, should we do it simply because readers are annoyed? Or does an exaggeration about a dog's injury provide just cause?

Constable Schweiger admittedly has provided a financial donation to this blog in the past, as well as some interesting news tips. Without him, I might not know what happened at Tuesday night's Hurtsboro City Council meeting. Did the interim police chief with his record of speeding tickets come up? Or did that pack of mauling dogs walk in, and clear the building?

As we say at the poker table, the Constable is going "all in" with this message. So our new Big Blog Question asks you if Robert Schweiger's e-mails should be barred from the blog. Come to think of it, we might be able to connect the last question with this one. If Schweiger's e-mails are banned, he might buy advertising space to make comments instead.

BLOG UPDATE: Speaking of dogs, WRBL reported Tuesday night that Seale kennel owner Diane Brown was arrested for animal cruelty. She actually kept about 250 dogs - and animal control officers removed dozens more Tuesday, claiming the animals were ill. It's tempting to call Brown "one sick puppy," but she may have had 70 around her.

Now a quick check of other news, from a busy Tuesday....

+ The Columbus NAACP held the grand opening for its new office on Third Avenue. President Bill Madison told the noon TV news: "I hope you can tell I'm smiling...." A man standing near me said he couldn't - but maybe the TV camera keeps showing Madison's bad side.

(Mayor Jim Wetherington walked one block down Ninth Street from the Government Center, to attend the grand opening. He told WLTZ the NAACP is "for everybody." Somewhere in East Alabama, David Glisson's jaw must have dropped to the floor....)

+ Ground was broken at Fort Benning for the new "Maneuver Center of Excellence." I heard the name of this building, and thought the Army had brought Shaquille O'Neal to town.

(The Maneuver Center of Excellence is part of base realignment at Fort Benning. It's scheduled to open in September 2011 -- perhaps just in time to give SOA Watch protesters something new on post to protest.)

+ The Columbus area United Way campaign ended, with a record $6.95 million in pledges. The staff celebrated its victory by holding a "flip-flops in February" party. If this had been held ten days earlier, Presidential candidate Mitt Romney might have felt right at home.

+ The Lee County School Board voted in favor of a second high school in Smiths Station. The Opelika-Auburn News reports the new school could cost $50 million - so if you're looking for the real reason why Woodrow Lowe was fired as high school football coach, maybe it's a salary cap move.

+ Instant Message to Angie's Beauty Salon and Detail Shop on Cusseta Road: I sincerely hope you don't get those two mixed up -- and start spray-painting red highlights in a woman's hair.

SCHEDULED THURSDAY: Your e-mails are likely to dominate, as we have a backlog of them....

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