Gainesville School Board. It's Time!

It's time to explain the entire shortage of funds scandal, if there ever was a shortage of funds.

The public will no longer accept a simple press release or another weak article in the Gainesville Times.

First, we need a clear time line of events. Who knew what when. The current set of dates contradict themselves. One report says the accounting errors were in 2004 - 2005. Another statement says 2007-2008.

We need and we want a first date. When was the shortage first suspected. An exact date. Documents showing who discovered the anomaly. Who did they contact.

What was the first projection, when it was found, in dollars? How much money was alleged to be 'missing' at the first projection of a 'loss.'

How many times did this loss projection figure get changed? Who changed it. When was it changed. An exact dollar amount each time the estimate changed.

We need to know what adjustments to the budget were made, when those were made, and how much were those adjustments.

How much did our state legislatures give away in tax cuts? When did those exemptions take place.

How much money was taken back from the city school budget by state mandated cuts in school funds.

How much did expenses increase, since so many people say it was a problem of 'over spending.'

How much did the economy change the budget? Things like $4 per gallon price for gas and fuel. The surcharges from Georgia Power and the rapid increase in fuel cost were unforseen by everyone. Unless Carl Rogers wants to take credit for seeing into the future, again.

It is not too much to ask that those questions get answered in a final report to the citizens, teachers, administrators, and students.

Wait too long, and someone will file an Open Records Act (ORA) request. It's cheaper to fess up without the legal pressures of ORA deadlines.

9/11 remembered

There will be other tributes to 9/11. This isn't an emotional statement. It's cold and rational.

President George Bush was sitting in a classroom full of children.

His first public comments were made in that atmosphere, in front of school children.

Anyone complaining that President Bush used or abused school children?

Anyone complaining that Bush programmed school kids to be religious warriors for revenge?

Ask the Obama school critics, "Where were you on 9/11?"

The Man in the Mirror

Michael Jackson wrote the song. The lyrics are lost to this blogger but the idea hangs with me.

Last night a Congressman screamed at the President during a national TV address to a joint session of Congress.

We're screaming and fighting on national TV, biting fingers off in street protests. This is democracy at its best and its worst. Or, at least people at their worst, barely more than a mob.

Democracy must have passion and participation. It need not be all Southern cordial manners to be civil.

I am not well mannered nor cordial towards liars, especially an Ann Coulter. But, even in my passion, I do not call her a liar without presenting facts.

Perhaps, last nights passion will be reflected in a mirror this morning. I know it will be an ugly image, UnAmerican, unpatriotic, selfish, ...

Is it the final image of American Democracy? God forbid.

And, please God, in my passion and praticipation, never let that image face me in my mirror.

The Horse Faced Queen of Lies, Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter is flooding email boxes with lies again.

She says she just “learned GM had just been kicked off the Dow Jones Industrial Index. Yikes! Picture the New York Yankees playing so badly they were demoted to Little League status. That doesn’t sound so good. Also, I discovered GM’s share price was listed as N/A. Not applicable. Sounds to me like — “price so low it can’t be measured.”

Please, Ann. Tell the truth. GM was delisted when it entered bankruptcy proceeding. Every three piece vest Suit knows that. Even a witch like you knows it. That didn’t just happen. It happened about 8 am on June 1st, 2009.

On July 10th, a new company with all of GM’s assets emerged from bankruptcy proceedings. It’s a privately held company. Not a public company owned by stock holders. You knew that, too.

If you don’t know the facts, Ann, just shut your face. You’re so old news.

Representative Carl Rogers, a blogger extraordinary!

State Representative Carl Rogers doesn't like the public light.

He's offered to meet me in a "dark place" to answer questions I've asked on public blogs.

The exchanged started on LeftonLanier.

I'm looking for someone to post the exchange on the Gainesville Times.

Let's move politics out of the dark rooms and secret meetings of Cagle, Deal, and Rogers.

Answer the public questions, State Representative Carl Rogers. Or crawl back under your rock forever.