Online headline/story: "Merck Foundation Severs Boy Scouts Funding Over Anti-Gay Policy * Following in the footsteps of Intel and UPS, the Merck Foundation announced it would suspend all funding to the Boy Scouts until the ban on gay scouts and scout leaders is lifted." -- Christmas season is upon us. Please let the BSA know its not alone nor an evil organization. Cite Merck/UPS et al as inspiring your support. I have dropped UPS from my personal choice of shippers, and will look closer at AMD powered computers in the future.

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My eldest has just become a UGA Dawg! Paid her tuition for the Spring semester. Tuition wasn't too bad, but the fees.... wow, an additional 29%! If she has time to use the things the fees cover, she wouldn't have time to go to class! The only reasonable fee was one called "Green Fee - $3.00". Tried to tell them that she doesn't play golf so could I use it instead? Academia has no sense of humor. Total fees for the semester were $1098.00. That would have paid my tuition and books when I went to college.

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The more scrutiny you give to the variable rates of income taxes, the more unconstitutional they become when the US Constitution was written to protect the individual from the government.

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From the how come department: How come the mainstream media is now reporting the "pre-existing condition" tax in Obamacare now? Why wasn't this an election issue? How come Fox News and Republicans didn't know about it prior to the election?

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HuffPost headline: "Michigan Right-To-Work Bill Approved By Republican-Dominated House" -- Only a liberal or liberal organization could have such vitriol over giving every one the right-to-work.

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Online headline: "Illinois Concealed Carry Ban Ruled Unconstitutional By Federal Appellate Court" -- Now we just need some Federal Appellate Court to rule the same for dead people voting.

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Dueling headlines: "Masked Man Opens Fire at Oregon Mall" & "Masked Gunmen Attack Egyptian Protesters" -- It's like al Qaida has potUS Obluster and Morsi voo-doo dolls and stick the same pins into each at the same time... or maybe they're both al Qaida puppets sharing the same strings.

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Online headline: "Obama: Syria Rebels Now Recognized By U.S. Government" -- The triangle is complete. My question is how do you recognize the representative of the people of a country without specifically bestowing such legitimacy on a named/elected leader?

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Make no mistake that this is not a dig at the results or the honor for of Lisa Bell, Downtown Elementary teacher being named the "Milken Educator of the Year" for all of Georgia, but the following is part of the L-E story: "The Milken Educator Awards, called the “Oscars of teaching” by Teacher Magazine, have been given by the Milken Family Foundation since 1987 to recognize the importance of outstanding educators and to encourage talented young people to enter the teaching profession. * Unlike most awards, there is no formal nomination or application process. Teachers and principals and specialists are nominated to Milken by the state’s department of education. Georgia principals thought they were nominating teachers to serve on state advisory boards" -- Since this has been going on for 25 years, don't you think that school principals are smart enough to know what is going on when they are asked to submit teachers' name to serve on state advisory boards?

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The MCSD board should look at the results of having Phillips as the interim superintendent. Nothings changed for the good, and it couldn't be much worse, but his half pay salary is a savings for the taxpayers.

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With all the unused office space the City has (or becoming available in the near future with the completion of the City Services building at Columbus Square), it's suspect that the City Manager wants to use some other property for the new City employee clinic. Political payback?
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L-E's "Quotable" : “You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.” Henry Ford American industrialist (1863-1947) -- Of course, if you modify this just a tad, you can come up with the root concept of the DUMBERat Party, "But you can build a voter base on what you say you are are going to do.”

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The new Falcon Stadium vote should be put on the ballot in two years when the Falcons won't have as good a record as they are having this year.