Great economic numbers yesterday..but this may be the first you've heard/seen them..Consumer Confidence - UP! Consumer spending.- UP! Fed rate - DOWN! Economy soaring! Trump 2020!

 

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Hey.. if anybody at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer asks you, pretend you don't know that Washington won the World Series. For even more fun, if you see any of them TOMORROW at lunch time, still pretend you don't know so they will feel their irrelevance even more as they try to swallow their pride along with their food.

 

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I'm going to hammer at the MCSB to adopt a City TAXPAYER SERVING policy of asking for taxpayer approval of SPLOST tax referendums ONLY on General Election ballots. As I understand it now, it appears the new SPLOST MAY be rushed so it can be voted on during the March Presidential Primary election, which in this case, will basically only have interests to the Democrats as President Trump will be running as the incumbent.

 

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From the "unbelievable" department - Online headline/story: "Pete Buttigieg: ‘Not fair’ that it’s a crime to knowingly give someone HIV * During the recent LGBTQ Democratic Presidential Town Hall hosted by CNN, homosexual candidate Pete Buttigieg said he wants to do away with laws throughout the country which criminalize HIV transmission via nondisclosure to sexual partners. * His questioner, CNN’s Anderson Cooper – who is also gay – called the laws “antiquated” and based on “old science.”" -- What is "FAIR" (please don't tell me Booty-gig and Cooper asked Bill Clinton to define 'fair") about passing on any disease to an unknowing "partner". No matter what treatment strides have been made, it's a STD.. and it's about the same as using "I didn't know it was loaded" when you accidentally aim a gun .. even jokingly.. and pull the trigger that sends a bullet into someone else... BUT YOU DID KNOW IT WAS LOADED?

 

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The next time you hear any DemocRAT claim "No one is above the law"... ask them to describe Hellary...

 

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Good grief! When did Fox put Chris Wallace on in the 3:00 slot vacated by Shepard Smith? I missed this slot Tuesday, but had enjoyed (at Hallmark's expense) tuning back into Fox since Smith left.. Hey, Hallmark, I'm coming back!

 

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Student Loan debt brings up an issue that obviously needs addressing... education! This should have been part of the process decades ago, but when colleges are entertaining applicants, vita; information should be presented to all that the colleges extend an acceptance letter.... the reality of what most non-professional career degrees pay in starting through the first 5 years of post graduate employment. Knowing this, students an understand the overwhelming debt such loans will be, and colleges can better understand their need in making degrees more affordable.

 

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Online story: "Thousands of ballots in Georgia were not counted in the 2018 midterms because potential voters missed registration deadlines. * That’s one finding in a new investigation by WABE and APM Reports. Registration deadlines are an often overlooked part of American elections. * But our investigation found they have done more to keep people from voting — especially young voters and people of color — than more controversial rules." -- "but OUR investigation"? Please don't try to convince anyone that this "investigation" was anything else but an agenda driven, justification of "OUR" opinion, motivated exercise at CREATING news that's really NOT news. Establishment of a persons legitimacy at being qualified to vote anywhere is important, and the processes are NECESSARY to prevent intentional fraud.

 

https://www.wabe.org/investigation-looks-at-missed-ga-registration-deadlines-uncounted-ballots/

 

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Seems our MCSD is trying to get the MCSB on board with having their SPLOST referendum issue on what will be a low voter based Presidential Primary in March of this year.. less that 5 months away rather than let voters decide in November next year during the more voter aware General Election.. From what I gather, the MCSD/MCSB feels they have a better chance to run this referendum in March, BECAUSE they do not want the public to have the opportunity to question the needs and costs of many proposed projects, Oh, and neither the MCSD nor the MCSB wants to risk a loss even in the State Primary/Local Election ace in May, because both political parties' voter bases will be driven to go to the polls.

 

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From the "doublespeak" department - Online headline/story: "Georgia Power likely won't get rate hikes it's asking for, PSC vice chairman says * Georgia Power is asking regulators for permission to collect an additional $2.2 billion in user fees over the next three years. One of those regulators said he doesn’t think it will happen. * “We may or may not give (Georgia Power) the 10.9% that they’re asking for. I don’t think we will,” Tim Echols, vice chairman of the Public Service Commission, said at a town hall held at Kennesaw State University on Monday night. “We may not raise the base rates from $10 to $17. I don’t think we will. ... In my opinion, it’s not going to happen the way that they see it.” * Georgia Power is an investor-owned utility that provides electricity to 155 of the state’s 159 counties. It has 128,145 residential customers in Cobb County." -- Did you notice how 1 person used nothing but the "we" word when talking and also the proliferation of "may not" when talking about the 10.9% rate raise GA POWER has requested... well, we DO know that these PSC Commissioners will be "wined&dined" and finally try to convince us the 3%-to-5% rate increase they "negotiate will be a BIG WIN for the voters..

 

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From the "looks like the whistleblower is outed: department - Online story: " President Donald Trump's top adviser for Russian and European affairs is leaving his job at the White House, a day before he's scheduled to testify before the House impeachment investigators, a senior administration official said Wednesday." -- Sounds like he already has a new job lined up.. maybe as an Antifa organizer..

 

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M/C L-E headline/story: "ACT scores are released for area high schools * MCSD’s graduating class of 2019 averaged a composite score of 19.8 on the ACT, an improvement of 0.4 points compared to the class of 2018 results, according to data released Wednesday. * The Ledger-Enquirer reported last month that MCSD surpassed the national and state averages on the SAT, the other major college entrance exam. Although it continues to lag those benchmarks on the ACT, it is closing the gap. * Georgia’s average ACT composite score remained at 21.4, outperforming for the fourth consecutive year and fourth time in history the United States’ average of 20.7, which decreased by 0.1 point from 2018." -- Wait a minute! I thought the MCSD had done away with "New Math". Obviously not when the MCSD feels a local composite average of 19.8 is higher than the United States’ average of 20.7, which decreased by 0.1 point from 2018 is higher than the United States’ average of 20.7, which decreased by 0.1 point from 2018.> Oh well.. maybe I better rethink the adage that "Average is either the best of the worst or worst of the best" ... seems the MCSD and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer beg to differ...

 

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M/C L-E headline story: "Reading scores fall in most US states * The average eighth grade reading score on a nationally representative test declined among public school students in more than half of the states, according to data released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, the research arm of the Education Department. * “Eighth grade is a transitional point in preparing students for success in high school, so it is critical that researchers further explore the declines we are seeing here,” Carr said." -- "Eighth grade is a transitional point"... Yep.. because not being able to read makes students un-participatory in high school for fear of peer embarrassment ... Additionally, according to the story. "Fourth grade reading scores dropped in 17 states, with New Jersey having the largest decline, 6 points; only one state, Mississippi, improved, the data showed." It all goes back to focusing on having every 3rd Grader reading at a proper level before moving into 4th Grade. Unfortunately, schools systems.. including ours.. are not willing to take a hard stance on making sure that 3rd Grade reading levels are attained before advancement.

 

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M/C L-E unsigned guest commentary headline/content: "The message sent by the resignation of Katie Hill * By electing her, voters seemed to be saying that they didn’t care about Hill’s personal life or her nontraditional path to Congress. And their faith was rewarded as Hill rose quickly into leadership positions among House Democrats and on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, displaying an astute grasp of policy issues and an eagerness to bridge the divide between progressives and conservatives." -- Good grief.. all acceptance of her "alternative lifestyle" flew out the window when the public learned she made incompetent decisions to pose/allow herself photoed in deviant situations.. her private life no longer stayed private. Whether or not the Congressional Ethics Code cared about her extracurricular sex with staffers or not, having public documentation made it an issue that had to be addressed.