Online story: "President Obama's 2008 campaign has been fined $375,000 by the Federal Election Commission for reporting violations related to a set of donations received during the final days of the election. * The fines are among the largest ever levied on a presidential campaign by the FEC and stem from a series of missing notices for almost 1,200 contributions totaling nearly $1.9 million. * Campaigns are required to file reports within 48 hours on donations of $1,000 or more received during the final 20 days of the campaign." -- What toothless legislation! Do you think pot-US Obluster cared anything about a fine (to be paid with other people's money, too) than in getting elected? Or where it came from? Heck, his re-election website is still soliciting and accepting campaign donations as we speak!
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Online story: "Jan 5 (Reuters) - Retired Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy is taking aim at what he sees as knee-jerk support for marijuana legalization among his fellow liberals, in a project that carries special meaning for the self-confessed former Oxycontin addict. * Kennedy, 45, a Democrat and younger son of the late "Lion of the Senate" Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, is leading a group called Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) that opposes legalization and seeks to rise above America's culture war over pot with its images of long-haired hippies battling law-and-order conservatives. * Kennedy wants cancer patients and others with serious illnesses to be able to obtain drugs with cannabinoids, but in a more regulated way that could involve the U.S. Food and Drug Administration playing a larger role." -- Just another liberal making the "Animal Farm" argument that 'some liberals are more equal than others. He just wants to get his that has been grown medically so he doesn't worry what else the marijuana has been "laced" with, and in 'pill form' so he can be smoke free.

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From above story: "The U.S. Department of Justice is still developing a policy in regard to the new state legalization measures. * President Barack Obama said in an interview with ABC News last month that it did not make sense for the federal government to "focus on recreational drug users in a state that has already said that, under state law, that's legal." -- Hmmmm, from our U.S. Constitution: According to the Supremacy Clause (Article VI, clause 2) of the United States Constitution,

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

Hmmm, what part of Article VI, clause 2, do not Colorado, Washington state, and the ppot-US Obluster administration understand?

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Online story about Gen (Ret) McChrysta's book: "McChrystal adds the choice to resign as U.S. commander in Afghanistan was his own. * "I called no one for advice," he writes in "My Share of the Task," describing his hasty plane ride back to Washington only hours after the article appeared in 2010, to offer his resignation to President Barack Obama. McChrystal was immediately replaced by his then-boss, Gen. David Petraeus. * The closest McChrystal comes to revealing his regret over allowing a reporter weeks of unfettered access with few ground rules comes much earlier in the book. "By nature I tended to trust people and was typically open and transparent. ... But such transparency would go astray when others saw us out of context or when I gave trust to those few who were unworthy of it." -- Hmmm, when comparing the leadership styles of McChrystal and pot-US Obluster, the first analogy that pops up is McChrystal is a Harry "The buck stops here" Truman, and Obluster is a Sgt "I know nothing" Schultz.

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L-E story concerning the MCSD board finding a new superintendent: " No semifinalist meets all the criteria the board gave the search firm to screen the candidates.." -- Isn't it the responsibility if the 'search firm' to go out and find/solicit possible matches rather than submit names of applicants simply because 'they' applied for the opening?

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Repeat from above: "No semifinalist meets all the criteria the board gave the search firm to screen the candidates, (MCSD chairperson Cathy) Williams has admitted. The major shortfall is the requirement for candidates to have five years of superintendent experience in a similar-size urban school district. * That means the board must revise its criteria, settle for less or actively pursue superintendents who meet the criteria." -- "That means the board must revise its criteria, settle for less or actively pursue superintendents who meet the criteria"? We've seen what criteria revisions and settling for less have brought us; how about the MCSD board's feet being held to the fire to do what's right for a change... find a superintendent that's has the administrative tools for the job, and will be here long enough for any initiatives to come to fruition. One thing the MCSD board needs to add in it criteria is that an effective candidate does not necessarily have to come out of the education field.

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From above story: "Going into the Dec. 5 interviews, Williams still expressed confidence that the board was on track to hire a superintendent by the end of December. In hindsight, she said, the timeline the search firm set wasn't helpful. * "We will hire a superintendent when we have determined the best candidate." Williams said. * "To try to establish an artificial timeline, I think, is somewhat detrimental to the process. What's more important is success at the end." -- "What's more important is success at the end."? Hmmm, who'da thunk it... a MCSD board member accepting a good business practice... Bet there are a bunch of Generals wishing they would hear that from the mouth (either side) of pot-US Obluster concerning Afghanistan.

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Liberal's L-E "soundoff": "The one percent took 93 percent of all the wealth made in 2010, yet Republicans want to cut Medicare, veterans' pensions and unemployment insurance to pay for additional tax cuts for the one percent." -- One would assume that the DUMBERat Party has completely brainwashed this one, but then we'd have to assume this liberal had a brain to begin with.

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We really don't need any tougher gun laws... what we need is for the courts to step down hard on criminals who use any illegally attained, or illegally possessed gun in any capacity.

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From the "what are we paying these guys for" department - L-E story: "Atlanta- Police are investigating apparent remains found near an Atlanta cemetery. A caller reported seeing what appear to be bones near the Crestlawn Cemetery. * Authorities told the AJ-C that they were unsure if the remains were human. * Investigators from the police homocide unit and the medical examiner's office were sent to investigate." -- Good grief! Did the reporter just not stick around for the police/med examiner to get there, or does the medical examiner just not know what human versus non-human bones looks like?

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L-E story: "Clay, Ala- A small northern Alabama town is facing a $7 million debt and is laying off municipal employees as it looks to trim expenses wherever it can. * (The Mayor) says the city building a new ballpark, moving city hall and cleaning up from last year's tornadoes likely contribute to the debt" -- Clay, AL had a population of 9,708 in the 2010 Census and was undertaking building a new ballpark and moving city hall? My guess is that the Mayor/Council voted for pot-US Obluster and expected him to consider Clay, AL 'too big' to fail, and include Clay in the 'bail-out'.

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Why is the GA General Assembly reconsidering school 'vouchers' again? The voters just passed legislation to bypass local school boards to create "Charter Schools" which will attract the state part of education dollars provided per student. We don't need both programs.

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Update of Whitewater project:

Hmmm. looks suspiciously like either a fake or the Committee to Pave the Chattahoochee has removed the 'wave-shaper' and the concrete basin. built earlier.

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From L-E editorial:, "The Department of Audits & Accounting (GA) reported last week that that although there are more than 3,500 laptops available for DFACS workers to file reports into the statewide database, in the year that ended June 11, 2011 more than 46,000 reports were not filed into the system on the day they were received." -- Hmmm, taxpayers have bought 3,500 laptops for DFACS? How many DFACS field agents are we paying? Taking that 46,000 of delayed report files, it comes out to only about 13 reports per laptop per year! About one a month for each laptop. Me thinks there's more than just a problem of reports being filed late here.

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Reading leftist columnists evaluating pot-US Oblauster's 'cave-in' to Republicans over raising the higher tax levels only to incomes over $400-$450 K is beyond reasoning. You cannot find one leftist columnist that really understands what pot-US Obluster has actually done to every taxpayer. Every taxpayer's income is subjected to the highest tax increases in history when you add up the removal of the Social Security break and fees/fines for Obamacare. Even the unemployed will be getting less cash in there distributions. Colleges that issued the folks degrees should have their charters revoked!

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Council is requested to purchase 5 "Harley Davidson Road King" motorcycles at $20,000.00 each.... from a Lexington, KY dealer! Good grief why can't the City Manager negotiate such purchases with the local dealer, and keep that $100K circulating in Columbus!

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The City Manager has requested Council also approve an annual contract for pressure-washing services on an 'as needed' basis with an estimation of about $4,500.00 annually. _Good grief... why does the City need an outside company to do what should be routine work with a minimum of equipment needs and costs? The City Manager has already gotten his own stump-grinder (how's that working out for us so far) rather than contracting an outside service to continue that, so why this?