Online headline: "Report: North Korean officials are reaching out to Republican analysts for help understanding Trump" -- Heh heh heh...KIm Jong Ooooops should irts realize that he's not dealing with Obama any more; secondly, he'll get better advice from watx-ching the original Steve Reeves version of "Superman" when he says, "I'm here to fight for truth and justice and the American Way."


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Kim Jong Oooops isn't alone in wondering how to "understand" Trump.. Democrats don't.. establishment Republicans don't, and mainscream media don't.. Neither do black activists.. they are so use to being catered to by politicians who just lay down and concede their concerns/actions are "right", while Trump says, "show me".. That is what is happening to the NFL right now.. activism is being called out for what it actually is.. just the wrong issue on the wrong stage..



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Soapbox Moment: History is neither right nor wrong.. history is just the recording of what was. We have choices today.. we can remember and move on with a good idea of how to avoid stumbling over the same obstacles as in the past.. or we can turn our heads backwards and stare at the mistakes, and trip over the same ones while blindly trying to advance without visual guidance.



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LeBron James says only uneducated people voted for Trump..guess that means LeBron voted for Trump.



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I think every NFL owner, coach, player and management exec should be made to visit every member of Pat Tillman's family and explain  why they equate disrespecting our National Flag and Anthem as a suitable  protest for social injustices each feels he/she has experienced.



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Hey, mainscream media... has not the name Emanuel Kidega Samson crossed over your news feed? You know, the immigrant from Sudan who shot up a small Christian church in Antioch, TN... I guess a real story isn't as important as trying to blame Trump for a bunch of football people being outed for misplaced judgement.



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I heard something yesterday, but haven't seen confirmation that I can say makes it a fact, but if Congress has removed federal spending on major sports facilities in the future, I'm all for it!



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Official news from Magnolia Market arrived yesterday.. ad news.. I remember when the movie scene in the  Black Sox scandal when a little boy looks mournfully at Shoeless Joe Jackson and says, "say it ain't so, Joe".. I'm looking at the announcement from Joanna Gaines about this being the last season for "Fixxer Upper", and I speak for my bride as we;; when I say, "say it ain't so, Jo".



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Online story: "Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas) took a knee on the House floor Monday evening in solidarity with NFL players who do the same during the national anthem." -- Hmmm.. well, who helped her back up... and why?



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From the "ludicrous" department - Online headline/story: "St. Louis Passes Resolution To Honor Dead Drug Dealer Anthony Lamar Smith * After a week of protests and rioting following the acquittal of former officer Jason Stockley in the 2011 shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith, the city of St. Louis has passed a resolution to honor the dead drug dealer." -- Good grief! Every St Louis police officer should boycott patrolling any neighborhood any St Louis Councilperson or their staff members live in.



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Online headline: "15 Cities to Live in if You Hate Trump" -- Not even going to insult your intelligence by naming any of them.. they are self-evident by the mayors' political affiliation of the cities..


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From the "talk about stabbing your "frenemy" in the back" department - Online story: "Burger King's Russian division has filed a complaint with the country's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS), demanding that the movie It be banned in the country. * The company claimed that the movie's clown character Pennywise looks like Ronald McDonald and therefore works as an advertisement for the rival fast-food brand." -- What a friend.. NOT! Burger King has now associated the horrifying clown with every McDonald's in the world to even those who will never see "IT".


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From the "when is enough going to actually BE ENOUGH" department - Online headline/story: "Teen who shot cop was loose thanks to judge's slap on the wrist * The Yonkers cop who was shot in the face during an armed ambush Monday left the hospital to the cheers of fellow officers — as it emerged Tuesday that the teen who blasted her was free thanks to a Bronx judge’s leniency. * (Kayla Maher) was struck by a bullet cops say was fired by 18-year-old Frank Valencia of New Rochelle. * According to the Bronx district attorney, Valencia had been released by a judge a week earlier in a case involving his possession of a semi-automatic handgun, 300 rounds of ammunitions — plus a machete and a set of brass knuckles * Because he was 17 at the time, Judge George Villegas of Bronx Supreme Court gave him a sweet deal at his Sept. 20 sentencing, in which he received only probation and youthful-offender status" -- Good grief.. Violent street thugs/gang members can not be treated like children...our court system has delved deeper into being a major part of social injustice... now it the NFL players said this what they are protesting, we could be a bit sympathetic.. but it's not what they are saying.


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So the tax bills are approved.. looks like we should start analyzing Council members' FMV assessments... half went up..and half went down... some even WAY DOWN.. and since they ALL are Homestead Exempted/Tax Frozen, how did the Board of Equalization handle them.. are they pluses or minuses?

First the "UPS" from 2016:
Huff's went up from $121,259 to $156110..
Baker's went up from $259,749 to $262,070
Woodson's went up from$107,149 to $121,720
Barnes' went up from $66,060 to $86,700
Allen's went up from $241,507 to $283,130

Now, according to what we believe, their actual tax value will be at the 2016 frozen rate, so technically, their taxes should be based on the same FMV of 2016

Now for the "DOWNS" from 2016:
Thomas' was FMV'd at $283,500 but now is FMV'd at $247,670..a decrease of about 13%
Pugh's was FMV'd at $156,023 but now is FMV'd at $98,250... a decrease of about 37%
Henderson's was FMV'd at $346,157 but now is $345,050.. a decrease of about 1%
Davis' was FMV'd at $703,685 but now is FMV's at $592,060... a decrease of about 16%
Garrett's was bought at $210,000 in 2016 but is now FMV's at $199,080.. a decrease in value of 5% in one year.

Davis's situation needs to be delved into.. he bought acreage in 1997 for $158,333 per acre for the 2.88 acres. Last year, the homestead exempt 2 acres were FMV'd at $108,900 but should have been valued at $316,667 alone, and the other unprotected .88 acres should have been valued at $139,000 but were valued at only $47.000

Now, before the Tax Office sends out ANY new bills, these 10 properties should aired and parsed openly so the rest of us will have some idea of how their property will be affected.

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From the "averages and results are not always what they appear to be" department: L-E headline/story: "MCSD beats Georgia average on SAT for first time * The Muscogee County School District’s average total score on the SAT beat the state average for the first time (by 1 point) and the average of Georgia’s three other second-tier cities by more than 50 points – and is 9 points shy of the national average.

MCSD’s average total score is 1051, Georgia’s is 1050 and the nation’s is 1060, according to results for the graduating class of 2017 released Tuesday by the New York-based College Board, which administers the SAT college entrance exam.: -- First I would challenge the "fact" that this is the first time Muscogee County has bested the GA average.. I'd like to see the 1950s and 60s numbers.. Secondly..also throw in the FACT that new SAT scoring eliminates the "penalty" for wrong answers as was the case in the past.. making "guessing" advantageous. Thirdly - with the exception of Columbus High School (85%), only 41% of MCSD seniors took the SAT versus 61% in all Georgia. In fact, 7 of our high schools had less than 42% of seniors taking the tests, and 3 of those had less than 20% participation.. Progress is and should be celebrated, but is this really progress?

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L-E headline: "Ex-candidate trying again for MCSD board, aiming for District 2 seat" -- Good grief.. once again, the L-E is giving free advertising for a regurgitated candidate who is not a candidate until he qualifies in the Spring of 2018.. We are so fortunate to have John Thomas, and Frank Myers standing up for transparency for the citizens. On the other hand. Bart Steed takes work contracts from the MCSD.. and we have no idea whether the work was bid out.

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L-E headline: "COLLEGE BASKETBALL * Adidas exec, 4 coaches are charged in bribery scheme
 Looks like "taking something" is rearing its ugly head again...I wonder if they will take: 1 - a knee, 2 - more money, 3 - the 5th Amendment.

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Once again it looks like all the high school football teams in Muscogee County missed the top 10 ranking in every qualification..  After learning that only 41% of MCSD seniors even took the SATs, and none of the high schools are good enough for stste football rankings, tell me again why the MCSD/MCSB is spending so much SPLOST money on sports facilities and electronic systems that are obsolete the day they are installed..

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The last Kmart in Columbus will be gone in 6 days. It's ironic that K-mart, which blew into Columbus in the 60s and tore up the community's "blue laws" (keeping the Sabbath holy), is now dragging its tail between its legs as it slithers out of Columbus..

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From the "I don't know which is worse" department - L-E headline/story: "Lawsuit seeks to declare Colorado River a person * This is the essential question in what attorneys are calling a first-of-its-kind federal lawsuit, in which a Denver lawyer and a far-left environmental group are asking a judge to recognize the Colorado River as a person." -- Good grief.. I don't which entity is the stupidest.. the suing party , or the L-E for printing such idiocy.

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Talk about roaring hot air, I see  Hurricane Judy F Brouillette is back in the letters page of the L-E.