18 SEP 08: SMELLING AND SMOULDERING

We already knew something smelled funny, involving Carver High School. Have you noticed the signs marking the 2007 state football champions STILL aren't posted at the Columbus city limits -- after nine months? Did the loss to Warner Robins Northside last week disqualify them or something?

But Wednesday night's news revealed something else smells strange at Carver High School - a serious leak in the sewer line under the cafeteria. No, that dark brown picture they showed on TV was NOT a giant pan of chocolate pudding....

Crews finally are repairing the sewer line under Carver High School - but Muscogee County officials say it might take two weeks to fix the problem completely. Two weeks?! Are that many plumbers assigned to the Phenix City Streetscape work?

Cafeteria workers at Carver High School say the odor problem has been building for nearly a year. At first it was easy to disguise. You simply add a few more greens to the pot, or throw more seasoning on the chicken....

But the smell has become so bad, Carver High School students aren't eating in the cafeteria anymore. Until the sewer line is fixed, they're dining in the auditorium. There's no word on whether the principal is showing extra mercy toward the students, by playing BET music videos on stage.

If that's not enough, the Carver High School cafeteria crew isn't even cooking lunch in the smelly cafeteria. Meals are being transported from Rigdon Road Elementary - which means students now have to think about leaving the staff a tip.

Once the sewer line under the cafeteria is fixed, there could be other work to do. Carver High School officials say the JROTC room has flooding problems from time to time. So? Isn't that good practice for fighting someday in the jungle of Venezuela, to oust Hugo Chavez?

Carver High School Principal Chris Lindsay says this "big stink" raises an old issue -- that the entire high school needs replacing. But that would require a renewed one-percent sales tax for schools. And as many of us know, the problem with that is a short drive farther down from Rigdon Road Elementary....

Perhaps Carver High School alumni should start thinking along the lines of what some Spencer High graduates are doing. They went before the school board with plans to build a new field house - through private contributions. As long as Carver keeps beating Spencer on the football field, the money should be readily available.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Tuesday's workshop on "union avoidance" may be over, but the person who brought Judy Thomas's appearance to our attention wants to talk some more about it....

Dear Blogger;

Regarding the Executive Assistant to the Mayor doing the workshop to stop unions in Columbus- she seems to talk out of both sides of her mouth. There was a $85 charge advertised in the paper and the title of the workshop is: "A Practical Guide to Union Avoidance"

"The Tuesday workshop, "A Practical Guide to Union Avoidance," will teach participants how to spot union activity, how to talk to employees about unions, conditions that make firms ripe for union campaigns and more."

It is insulting to the Columbus people for the woman to say she is speaking at a seminar, for which there is a charge, that opposes unions, and that she does not have any part in that very subject matter. Someone got paid for the seminar- she told me in an email response to my letter to the mayor, that the company is getting paid for it. So, why is she partaking in stopping unions? She is not doing the seminar to help workers protect themselves with unions. The level of delusion she exhibits defies logic. She must be planning to run for office.

If Synovus had been unionized, and had the union been able to act upon the robber baron salaries, there might have been less greed by the top and more jobs at the bottom. Apparently the company feeds on its own.

If you think you can get all of the city boards on line- you cannot. The Mayor will not put board members on the city website, which would allow all citizens to see who serves on which boards. We have asked this and other administrations to put them on line. Yancey has served on many boards and so has Blanchard. Additionally, his son is now semi-presiding (when he shows up) on the Development Board (you will remember they recommend that millions of dollars be granted in tax exemptions--exempting their own organizations of many hundreds of millions- and it is all approved, in total, by the tax assessors).

You can ask Anthony and Blanchard to tell you on how many boards they have served during their careers-THEY WILL PROBABLY NOT ANSWER YOU -here is a small sample of a board which Yancey is just now leaving---this was found in the recent Sept. 2008 Columbus Council agenda. It is the very important Downtown Development Authority Board, yet another Development Board. The Development Authority tax exemption recommendations must go through the DA's office as well as the Superior Court. Why are they so will nilly signing off on the Development Authority exemptions-giving so much away to the robber barons. You will remember that some of the tax exemptions are actually for 100% --- they are supposed to be for 50%, however they LIE about the actual value of the property-inflating it - and getting a tax exemption that is actually the entire amount of tax rather than 50%. (You may want to interview Paul Olson on this).

CLERK OF COUNCIL'S AGENDA…....…SEPTEMBER 2, 2008

DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY:

(James D. Yancey) SD-29

Cannot succeed himself

(Council's Appmt)

As you know, NY State decided to stop CB& T and their COMPUCREDIT cohort from doing predatory credit cards to minorities there. They were charging $400+ for individuals who had never even used the cards. They were doing aggressive collection practices with calls before 7 and after 10 at night. Compucredit execs do Republican think tank-seminars on education of Hispanics in Tex., (and elsewhere)and they predate on Hispanics. NY state put the papers to stop CB&T from working in their state up on their website. Steve Melton is named in those papers. They have treated minorities like expendable commodities.

The same company's executives are unduly influencing the city government. CB&T also laid off employees in Phenix City. Since Yancey and Blanchard made about 7M per year while putting their employees on the unemployment rolls, is it time to take a deep breath and stop their company executives from serving on city boards? The tax exemptions recipients with such excessive greed rob their companies and our city of taxes all while some of the rookie police department employees had to go on food stamps.

The Columbus Citizenry has been victimized by robber baron corporate executives who run the city through pay for hire politicians, get themselves and their execs put on city boards, deem themselves worthy of virtual tax exempt status, hold tens of millions of city reserve accounts and who fire employees because it is too difficult to pay them. The entire CB&T-SYNOVUS political-economic entanglement with our city government needs to be brought to a screeching halt.

Deborah Owens

Starting from the top - have you ever visited a bank that had a union? I mean, other than the old "First Union Bank" with the word in its name....

It turns out the city web site DOES list the members of the Downtown Development Authority, as well as the city Development Authority. James Yancey has been on both boards - and he's also currently on the board of the Hospital Authority. Perhaps that's for handling the headaches which come from figuring the exemption rates at those other boards.

This series of anti-Synovus e-mails may have some side effects, you know. Talk down the company enough, and it might become the next Washington Mutual. And besides, I think Wachovia is too busy right now trying to work out mergers to take over city accounts.

Let's take one more e-mail on a happier note - or at least it starts that way:

You should go to Lake Bottom football field about 6PM on a week night..All age levels of the Clubview Bulldogs are practicing on different sections of the field..It is fun to look from group to group and see how the kids have advanced as they age..There are parents enjoying each other,the concession stand has great frys and it is just one big family affair..Except,the rules say no tobacco and one coach has a big wad of chewing tabacco and spits all over the ground where the kids fall..You don't see anyone smoking,except for the Pres.of the League..And the chewing coach is his son. Come on guys be that example we expect as youth role models.

I see this writer's point. But maybe the son is chewing on tobacco, to avoid chewing out his players with the wrong language.

We thank all of you who write and visit - and now let's check some other Wednesday news:

+ The high temperature in Columbus was a splendid 76 degrees F. If things stay this comfortable for the next few months, the next round of layoffs may come from air conditioning repair shops.

+ A midday walk around South Commons to enjoy the weather revealed a giant dumpster at the Golden Park entrance has been moved in recent days. Our 11 Sep picture show the dumpster was filled with items from the now-departed Columbus Catfish - including a giant lounge chair sitting on top. It's perfect for the pitcher who's just thrown a complete-game shutout.

+ Gas prices showed signs of dropping in Columbus. The Circle K in my neighborhood showed a price of $4.24 for regular unleaded. Hopefully people in Houston won't mind an extra two weeks of gas lines, so our prices can return to normal....

(Because of high gas prices, the Americus Times Recorder announced it's ending home delivery on weekday mornings. Instead, each edition will be sent by mail. Who would have guessed a newspaper would be hoarding "forever" stamps?)

+ Constitution Day was marked at federal court in Columbus, as several people took the oath to become new U.S. citizens. But I have to confess - I did NOT fly the flag. I did not review the U.S. Constitution. I didn't even visit the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's web site.

+ WRBL gave its "Golden Apple Award" to a language teacher at Glenwood School. She helps students learn Spanish by giving them lessons in salsa dancing. As long as the teenagers don't dye their hair blue, like Celia Cruz did....

+ Roslyn Giles returned to WRBL as a reporter, for the first time in several years. If you're wondering why she came back, this short answer should suffice - she left the station to sell real estate.

+ Tuskegee University announced its football game this weekend will have a female referee. How many male alumni heard that and thought of an old Motown tune - "Backfield in Motion"?

+ Instant Message to the New York tabloids: Which one of you will have the morning headline, "WALL STREET LAYS AN AIG" ?!

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