HuffPOO headline: "Rudy Giuliani: I Received Death Threats In Wake Of Obama Comments" -- Hmmm.. sorta like Charlie Hebdo when he riled the Muslim world...really makes you pause and think..

---

HuffPOO headline: "Scott Walker: 'I Don't Really Know' Whether Obama Loves America" -- Hmmm... you know.. HEBDObama says he does,,, but what are your personal opinions about whether he ever tells the truth.. whether he CAN tell the truth...

---

HuffPOOPOO headline: "White House Looks To Undercut Netanyahu Speech" -- Hmmm sorta like a riled Muslim... really makes you pause and think...well, it should,

---

For you number crunchers:

http://www.stanjester.com/spending/spendingperstudent/alldistricts/MuscogeeCounty

---

Online headline/story: "10 RICHEST PEOPLE WHO DID NOT FINISH COLLEGE * Mary Kay Ash, Halle Berry, Michael Dell, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Rachel Ray, John D. Rockefeller, Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, and Walt Disney.... Hmmm guess Governor Scott Walker is in pretty good company as to making something other than a fool of himself like Howard Dean, III.

---

9% "poor" roads...when you think about this... a lot of questions arise... what are the names of the other conditions roads can be considered.. (great, OK, so-so, poor?)? what Council Districts are these 9% (and where are the top 9%?) hmmm, how about the L-E publishing the names..

---

L-E story: "The 2015 SPLOST would help replenish the computers in those labs when they are outdated. If the referendum passes, the $25 million will pay for around 25,000 more devices, Pleasant said. But that doesn't mean the district would have an additional 25,000 devices, because the new computers are replacing old ones in a five- or six-year span, he said." -- Hmmm... 25,000 computers to be purchased/replaced... that's almost as many students as we have in the entire system... does you child have one issued/supplied by the MCSD? Other people's children are getting them...

---

Another thing...the cost of computers.. a MacBook Air can be bought for $899.00 individually. good notebooks can be bought for under $600.00, even under $400.00, and "game speed upgrades" should not be an issue as they are for school needs. And software.. why will the MCSD but the full versions of Moicrosoft Office when "Open Office" is available for FREE. What we have is a situation where the tech buyer is spending other people's money, and enjoying the attention of being wined and dined by sale reps.

---

Oh.. the L-E forgets there are specific rules about the SPLOST, and it conveniently leaves out the issue of the 2015 SPLOST maintenance requests, the law: "A special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) is a financing method for funding capital outlay projects in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is an optional 1% sales tax levied by any county for the purpose of funding the building of parks, schools, roads, and other public facilities. The revenue generated cannot be used towards operating expenses or most maintenance projects."

---

Too bad the L-E didn't start parsing the SPLOST concerning the $7,200,000.00 plugged in for baseball/softball improvements at 5 schools.. that's $1,440,000.00 average for each school. Ironically, the L-E did a great piece Saturday on how Calvary Christian just did a major overhaul on it's baseball facility for $200,000.00.. Hire the parents and contractors from that project, and all 5 public high schools could be done for less that the cost of one of the projects.

---

L-E story on 2015 SPLOST "facility upgrades:

Plants services employees inspected each facility to determine the needs for the next five years, Hecht said.

"Someone contacts the principal of the school to get their ideas," he said, "and then they make their own assessments."

The $28 million request comprises:

• $11.5 million for finishes, such as carpeting, flooring, wall surfaces, ceilings, windows and doors.

• $10 million for heating, ventillation and air conditioning.

• $3.1 million for electrical systems.

• $2 million for site issues, such as erosion, paving, parking, sidewalks and storm drains.

• $1.5 million for disability code compliance.

• $1.5 million for arts and humanities acoustical treatments.

• $930,000 for plumbing.

Hmmmm ...Looks like 100% maintenance... and what does the GA SPLOST Law say about maintenance? " The revenue generated cannot be used towards operating expenses or most maintenance projects."

---

L-E story: "MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Education Association board on Saturday took steps to dismiss executive secretary Henry Mabry after an audit raised concerns about the financial management of the powerful teachers’ lobby. * The audit revealed problems about a lack of financial controls, appropriate checks and balances and management decisions, Gibson said." -- Hmmm... audits work.. once again.. why would anyone be against an audit if there wasn't something going on?

---

Jonathan Gruber stupid LIV's L-E "soundoff": "Can you imagine being a supervisor yet not being allowed to hire the people you supervise? The Chief of Operations and Facilities works for Dr. Lewis, not the board." -- Hmmm... the question is whether the Board approves/approved the particular job... in advance.. remember when John Phillips hired a friend from Texas.. and who actually moved to Phenix City before the Board knew about it? Trouble was that Phillips hired the guy to do Phillips' job, and at half Phillips' salary.. I suggested the MCSD Board fire Phillips instead, and take advantage of saving all of Phillips' salary, and getting the job done for half-price.. Of course, the Board dismissed the unapproved guy and kept Phillips.. we all know how that went...

---

From Purchases portion of Columbus' City Manager's Agenda: " Veterans Parkway and Double Churches Road Intersection Improvements: It is requested that council authorize the execution of a construction contract with * C. W. Matthews Contracting Company Inc., in the amount of $2,296,398.81 for intersection improvements at Veterans Parkway and Double Churches Road. The work includes but is not limited to grading, resurfacing, pavement markings, storm drain pipes, median, curbs and gutters, sidewalks and wheelchair ramps, landscaping and erosion control and traffic lighting and signs." -- Good grief.. this work is suppose to fix a condition where Veterans Parkway is about 2,5 feet below the railroad grade 30 feet away that contributed to the turning over of a logging truck as it attempted to make a 90 degree turn off Veterans onto Double Churches Rd.. Good grief... $2.3 million will not fix the problem, but a $100.00 sign simply say, "Logging Trucksm Loaded Dump Trucks, and Semi's - no right turns" The only other two option would be to raise Veterans 2.5' or tunnel under the railroad like Council decided at the Buena Vista Rd spiderweb..