23 JUL 08: NO MORE TWO-BAGGERS?

Don't you love our Columbus Council? Only one week after a long controversy ends at the polls, a new one officially begins. It's almost like CCG-TV is showing a version of Univision's telenovelas.

The new touchy topic which officially launched Tuesday was one that an e-mailer here suggested some time back. The city Public Services Department called for a cut in garbage collection from twice a week to once a week. I'd think opponents of the so-called "police state" in Columbus would like this -- because guards watching over prison inmates wouldn't show up as often.

Ron Smith with the Public Services Department told Columbus Council a cut to once-a-week trash collection would save the city about $670,000 per year in fuel bills. Are you critics of Hurtsboro's city government paying attention? All those weeks last year with no garbage collection may have balanced the town budget.

Ron Smith estimated the typical Columbus garbage truck burns as much as 50 gallons of fuel each day. And let's face it: garbage trucks aren't built with the concept of "miles per gallon" in mind. If they were driven at an optimum speed of 40 miles per hour, too many inmates would be unable to keep up -- and the number wandering the streets would jump.

Ron Smith explained by cutting trash collection in half, the city can keep monthly garbage fees where they are now. So Columbus garbage service would be handled a bit like ice cream cartons at the supermarket....

The trash talk discussion began quickly, in reaction to this proposal. Some people complained they have too much garbage now, and it simply has to be collected twice a week. This is what happens when the city landfill operates on "banker's hours."

But others said more people in Columbus need to practice recycling and composting, instead of leaving all their trash in a garbage bag at the curb. Some of us have been recycling for years. But composting?! Hmmmm - maybe that pile would drive the roaches out of my kitchen at last.

Then there were the people who took the debate in unexpected directions. "They want that other one percent," one man said of the trash proposal - as if the city is setting residents up for yet another sales tax vote, to replace the one for Muscogee County schools that's scheduled to disappear. After all, those improved streets won't look nice if stacks of trash bags are along them.

Another man gave me a short history lesson in Columbus garbage. He said city officials proposed this cut to once-a-week pickup during the 1990s. But too many people complained about the idea, so it was.... well, we thought it was put on the scrap-heap. But maybe it really landed in the blue recycling bins which were surfacing around town.

This man said Columbus kept twice-a-week trash pickup, after residents protested - but an extra garbage fee was added to the monthly water bill. He suggested if service is going to be cut in half now, the monthly fee should be emoved. This seems about as likely as the Ledger-Enquirer cutting its price, for printing fewer sections.

Yet is Columbus spoiled, when it comes to garbage collection? A quick check Tuesday night found Atlanta, Auburn, Harris County and Macon all have once-a-week service. Are residents actually going to argue that Columbus is twice as trashy as those places?

E-MAIL UPDATE: We still haven't heard from Bert Coker about Tuesday's main topic, but we heard from someone else....

Richard, I have a large collection of photos of poitical signs from previous elections that are missing the "disclaimer" (Paid for by.......). I always carry my digital camera with me and make it a point to photograph political signs. The problem with so many of our laws, rules, regulations, etc. is that there is often no consequences for failure to follow them. Every candidate should be given with their qualifying papers a list of all the rules, guidelines, etc. along with the consequences for not complying so there could be no pleading of ignorance. If disqualification was a consequence there likely would be more compliance.

I also would like to see on the ballot for each office "None of the above". I feel certain "None of the above" would win many elections. It might be costly to the taxpayers but I think the end result would be better candidates. So often you hear voters talk about "voting for the lesser of two evils".

Wow - disqualification?! That threat doesn't seem to have worked with Atlanta baseball manager Bobby Cox.

There's one U.S. state where "none of the above" appears on ballots. Nevada added the option to all elections 32 years ago, yet a web site supporting the idea doesn't indicate any case where that option came in first. Not to mention who would have given the victory speech....

Another reader seems to speaking for a group, but I'm not sure which one:

Hello All;

What we want, and have wanted for at least 5 years, is this: A new severe Conflict of Interest Law with very stiff penalties.

We will not support local Ethics Commissions with or without subpoena power. Even if the local Ethics Commission was chosen by the Grand Jury, the Ethics Commission would be comprised of either private citizens who would not be prepared to conduct investigations or by skilled trial attorneys who have severe partisan bias. We oppose a new layer of government. It is totally unnecessary! There are some good politicians. Are you surprised to hear that? Yes, there are, however they, too, would be subject to partisan inquiry, with their spouses, children, and friends subpoenaed.

We do not want Ken Starr playing out across the land.

Private citizens are not trained to do investigations and those who are trained- the partisan attorneys of the world--- should not be doing ethics investigations of their political opponents with subpoena powers, under the auspices of impartial government investigations. AGAIN, We do not need a new level of government. The present Secretary of State's Ethics Commission is sometimes capable of carrying out the finance and regulatory requirements for a campaign, but they are generally either quite inept, or perhaps, just partisan placeholders, otherwise. What is needed is not investigative bodies outside of normal government but good laws to stop conflicts of interest and abuses of power. We will actively fight a local ethics commission.

We call upon all activists to work toward the goal of a stringent Conflict of Interest Law with stiff penalties for violations.

We absolutely do not want private citizens acting in official investigative capacities for which they have not been trained, or partisan attorneys conducting biased investigations that disrupt and ruin lives.

We do want a new stringent Conflict of Interest Law with stiff penalties for violations. With a new Conflict of Interest Law, a person has either violated it or he has not violated it. The law can be used to correct violators. We do not need a local Ethics Commission with police investigative and subpoena powers pulling blue dresses out of every closet.

Thank you,

Deborah Owens

This e-mail may disappoint a few people in Columbus. The way Josh McKoon went after State Senator Ed Harbison in recent weeks, he could have been running for Ken Starr's old job as special prosecutor -- or maybe persecutor.

Other people may be disappointed by the claim that "private citizens are not trained to do investigations." The latest edition of the Yellow Pages has six agencies offering to do exactly that - and by the way, none of them have the name "Blog of Columbus" anywhere on them.

Now for a quick sweep of other Tuesday news....

+ Afternoon and evening thunderstorms dropped more than an inch of rain on Columbus. I'd rather see 0.99 in the rain gauge than 99.0 on the thermometer any day.

+ Mead Westvaco employees in Cottonton held meetings on whether to set a strike date. But did I hear it right - they met at a nice Columbus hotel?! If the proposed pay increase is really that lousy, shouldn't they have met in a corner booth at Krystal?

+ The Ledger-Enquirer's web site reported Bill Heard is selling dealerships in several cities, but apparently NOT in Columbus. This is either a move to stay afloat in a declining economy - or a move to stay one step ahead of the law.

+ Warner Robins American eliminated Columbus Northern from the Georgia Little League baseball playoffs 2-0. It was an unusual meeting of the last two Little League World Series champions. Why this didn't appear live on ESPN Classic, I don't quite understand....

+ Instant Message to the children I saw outside the Space Science Center, apparently firing homemade rockets into the air: Do you have a concealed carry permit for those things?

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