Monday, March 17, 2008

17 MAR 08: BURN MONEY TO SAVE MONEY



It's becoming one of those sure signs of spring. The swallows return to Capistrano. The flowers start blooming at Callaway Gardens. And someone starts a grass-roots campaign to bring down gas prices. You've noticed how well those "don't drive Sundays" have worked, haven't you?



A Manchester man is attempting this year's grass-roots campaign against high gas prices. Pete Burns is having people sign petitions, demanding the government do something. That's nice - but it's not clear exactly what Burns wants the government to do. After all, Congress could order everyone to ride bicycles.



Pete Burns has already contacted government officials about his gas price petitions. He told WRBL Senator Saxby Chambliss advised him to get 50,000 signatures, before submitting them to Governor Perdue. Are you sure the Senator didn't really suggest a donation of $50,000?



As of this past weekend, Pete Burns says he has about 4,000 names on petitions across West Georgia - and that's in only two weeks. All Burns has to do is use a little liquid paper, and he could run for Congress as an independent.



Pete Burns dreams of making this a nationwide petition drive against high gas prices, with 500,000 signatures or more. This could attract a following in many cities. Well, except perhaps New York - where subways have been around for decades, and people actually use them.



Pete Burns took his petitions to LaGrange over the weekend. About 200 people signed them at various businesses. He even walked into a car dealership - where someone should have told him about the proposal in Congress to require higher gas mileage standards.



At one stop in LaGrange, Pete Burns explained his gas price petitions this way: "It doesn't say 'we the government.' It says 'we the people.'" That's true, of course - but then the first three articles of the Constitution deal with the creation of governmental branches, not a public referendum.



Pete Burns seemed to drive all over LaGrange. He drove to drug stores. He drove to restaurants. He.... hey, wait a minute! Isn't this part of the problem? Burns is driving! Shouldn't he save fuel, and do his petition "driving" online?



At the risk of bursting Pete Burns's bubble, I fear this petition campaign is a bit misguided. First of all, he's driving around to get lower gas prices. The managers of his neighborhood gas station may be snickering behind his back - or at least at the bank.



For another thing, I have this funny feeling Congress already knows about the high price of gasoline. The cost of flying home to their districts keeps going up -- not to mention the limousine drivers in Washington demanding raises.



But perhaps Pete Burns can persuade Georgia's governor to take some kind of action against high gas prices. You may recall Sonny Perdue suspended state fuel taxes for a month in 2005. Of course, there might be complaints if he did it now - because the state budget is tight, and public school teachers would at least like to finish the year.



By the way, I filled my gas tank Sunday for $3.14 a gallon at Dolly Madison on Victory Drive. And signs on the windows apologized not for the high price of gas, but rising bread costs - up to $1.39 for a loaf of whole wheat bread. This is NOT my idea of a price war....



THE BIG BLOG QUESTION related to the Lauren Burk murder case ended Sunday night - and by an overwhelming margin, voters said news coverage was NOT overdone (1-6). But half the voters chose the "middle option," saying some news outlets have gone too far while others have not. Greta Van Susteren should stick to those sex scandals in the New York governor's mansion.



One voter commented during the poll that the real issue isn't too much coverage of the Lauren Burk killing -- it's a lack of coverage for other murder cases across the area. But wouldn't this make the evening news a morbid place? Why, there might not be time left over to watch Mayor Wetherington fly upside-down in an airplane.



BLOG UPDATE: How about them Dawgs! The Georgia men's basketball team finished the impossible weekend Sunday, by winning the Southeastern Conference championship. When the final buzzer sounded, Bulldog radio announcer Scott Howard still had a voice - but it sounded almost as raspy as Larry Munson's.



Georgia jumped out to a 26-9 lead, then held on for a 66-57 win over Arkansas. The Bulldogs wound up winning three games in 30 hours - and by doing it at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Georgia Tech may never have a home-court advantage in their rivalry again.



Georgia Coach Dennis Felton explained to ESPN Radio Sunday night he wanted both semifinal games played on Sunday, to avoid the Bulldogs playing a Saturday doubleheader. The Southeastern Conference turned him down, which apparently inspired Felton to make his team play angrier. But how much angrier would Florida have been, to be bumped from a tournament spot on Monday?



Georgia goes to the NCAA tournament with a 17-16 record. Yet the selection committee made the Bulldogs a #14 seed, which is still better than at least nine conference champions. If I worked for 16th-seeded Portland State, I'd be calling Athens today about setting up a showdown next December.



As for the other side of the river: how strange is it that South Alabama made the NCAA tournament, Alabama State and Alabama-Birmingham made the N.I.T. - while Alabama and Auburn both are staying home? Either bring in some better players, or start scheduling non-conference games against Troy and Jacksonville State.



BIG PREDICTION: Georgia's amazing run isn't finished yet - as I'm picking the Bulldogs to defeat Xavier in their opening tournament game on Thursday. After that, we'll see. Let's take it one game at a time - which is 50 percent less than Georgia did things on Saturday.



E-MAIL UPDATE: The debate over dissolving the city of Hurtsboro has taken an interesting turn. We've been passed this comment, which was left at the WRBL web site:



R.J. Schweiger you need to sit your racist behind down somewhere, you can't stand the fact that the mayor is black and the majority of the city council is black. People like you need to put the pass behind them and move on this is a new day and age and belive it or not black people stand for something and have many leadership positions, what makes Hurtsboro any different. So get off you wagon of do nothing and racisim, and do something that will help the city of Hurtsboro. P.S. You look like a fool on TV with those dark glasses on.



Now hold on a minute! I don't know the ethnic background of Hurtsboro's police chief. But I've talked to enough business owners there to know the Constable is NOT racist. He upsets people of all skin colors equally.






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BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 652 (- 22, 3.3%)



TRUDGE REPORT, DAY 15: Racquetball practice, 45 minutes. Total: 50.15 miles run, 7.15 walked



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.



© 2003-08 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.




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