Bugs On Drugs

We have an impending cicada emergence and now we find out that some of these bugs will be on drugs. That's right, cicadas on amphetamines, like you could tell the difference from the noise. It's not really fun for the bugs, as the speed is created by an invasive fungus that consumes the cicadas' abdomen and genitalia. And you thought is was just your cousin Earl getting high on fungi.  Not to worry, these bugs are transmogrified into a semblance of a ready-to-mate female which only serves to spread the love. Turns out, like most other creatures, mating is a penetrating experience which dislodges fungal spores but results in no offspring. And, it seems that male cicadas are not very discerning. That or it's closing time.

Judge For Yourself

Shouldn't They Know The Rules?

Perhaps they don't know about the sign restrictions in the Village? Who obeys them anyway? Maybe they think politicians, and an elected judge is just that, don't obey rules, they make them or enforce them. 

You be the judge, after all, you're the voter.

Fairy Ring

 

Almost

Fairy Tales

Permanent?

Very Revealing

If the blue-bag-rag coverage of the retreat is accurate, and there is no reason to believe it isn't, much was revealed. When asked about impediments to their 10 year goals, someone, mayor, council, both, but someone, offered: "community resistance at the polls." Have we really come to this? Are we saddled with politicians who are openly opposed to the will of the electorate? Perhaps it is time for a recall. Perhaps we have the government we deserve.

There was one voice of reason: 

"everything boils down to quality of life for our existing residents. If we are looking to attract new businesses and people to the community, it's quality of life." 

Wow. Who knew that folks who were attracted to Dunwoody for a certain quality of life might want to maintain that quality of life, or through there own eyes see it improve. Unfortunately that view is not shared by Mother Earth Mayor and some on council. Nor by bureaucrats in the Shining PATH's rolodex. 

And that force is strong in city hall. Even though a referendum comment observed "I think they told us ... that they really just want parks," the notion of floating a parks-only bond in the fall was shot down. Why? Again, Mother Earth was having none of it, as this would be yet another impediment to a dream of paving paradise, while touting lack of community support for the projects. This directly contradicted the aforementioned "they really just want parks" conclusion. Mother Mayor prefers a cult-like religious movement: 

"... what we lack is a passionate group of citizens asking us for these improvements. We didn't have a base of support that could rile up their friends." 

Based on past performance one can only assume that "improvements" is Shining PATHS. Furthermore this turns a blind eye to the loud mouth PATH supporters on [anti]social media and a deaf ear to the reality that this tactic of using "passionate" advocates "to rile up their friends" back fired.

Place Identity

This is an interesting thing in today's America and like most other things it is divisive, or perhaps simply reflects baseline divisiveness in society. It is even more interesting here in Dunwoody. 

Before the city referendum was passed Dunwoody had an identity. And it was a good one. So good that nearby locations adopted "Dunwoody" in their name to add a certain cachet otherwise missing. There are still quite a few subdivisions and apartments in neighboring cities carrying a Dunwoody label.  This character was comfortable, convenient within the community and accessible to things like work and entertainment without the annoyance of those being on top of you. It was suburban. Largely single family with an enthusiastic support for that place identity. People wanted to move here, to live here for the location, the convenience and the inherent stability. But it was suburban.

Then the city rolled in. With it came bureaucrats who run the city and elected officials who have no operational responsibility, capability or accountability, and who are prohibited by law from attempting to exert or influence any of these. The bureaucrats, often not from here and many not living here, are driven by their own priorities or the priorities of outside influences by way of funding from other government entities and grants. If there is a grant, or state or federal funding to do something then that is what they will do, without any regard for the wishes of the folks who sought Dunwoody out as THE place they wanted to live because of THE place that it was. The promises made before the city was chartered have been washed away by organizational greed.

It isn't clear if city hall is its own echo chamber (it probably is), or if they are cult-like in following the Shining PATH Foundation (seem to be), or if they just thought the voters had dumbed-down (or just gotten wiser), but their vague, flimsy excuse of a funding referendum went down. Hard. And they seem clueless and their acolytes have resorted to divisive pejoratives in [anti]social media. Perhaps, if they are smarter than everyone else, as they seem to believe, they can gain an understanding of their failure by studying an article on the left's failure to comprehend rural Americans, a demographic upon whom they liberally heap their pejoratives. They might find, and should ponder, things like this:

...consider how rural voters' choices are frequently rooted in values and place-based identities that place a strong emphasis on self-reliance, local control and a profound sense of injustice regarding the lack of recognition for rural contributions to society.

[emphasis added, and perhaps read "rural" as "Dunwoodians"]. What has baffled the left is that rural voters are choosing those who have demonstrated they will send less outside money to rural areas because the left has little comprehension of or toleration for self-reliance and local control. They don't understand why they cannot simply buy these peoples' votes. Here in Dunwoody those in operational control of the city cannot fathom why we would turn away outsiders' money if all we have to do to get it is, well, whatever these outsiders want us to do. That is because city hall no longer understands that the voters who supported this city wanted self-reliance and freedom from outside control, and that is what they were promised. A promise that has been broken. 

How Many Times?

How many times can you write the same opinion piece? With the AJC public school advocate there seems no limit. The latest diatribe included jumping on the mis/dis-information bandwagon and it is good to do it now because hearing those chants from mainstream media, shown to shun veracity, is getting tiresome. Just hop right on before the wheels fall off. The author questions how anyone could believe what the author finds to be exaggerations and falsehoods (SAT word for "lies"). It is not because these things are in and of themselves believable, but because public schools have actually done so many things equally unbelievable. They make it difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. 

There is also the juxtaposition of "send their own kids to their own public schools" with "public schools as a national source of commonality." So which is it? Are they local schools? Or, are they a national machine for homogeneity? Does this mean PTA's do not matter at all, but for being a possible source of money for a school? And just whose "commonality" is to be imposed from the national level? Is that the AFT?

One very noncontroversial point is made: it is all about the money. We're offered this interesting twist:

"It's never been the parents' money. The voucher represents the collective pooling of all the community's tax dollars, including those of residents without children." 

The word "collective" must have flown from the fingertips, but it makes you wonder which continent the author hails from or wishes us to emulate. Nonetheless, it is about money. Money being poured into a system that cannot self-correct, cannot self-improve, where incompetents cannot be fired even in places, like Georgia, without official union presence. Perhaps if the author exercised a bit of critical thinking we'd not be subjected to the same diatribe run thru the rinse-repeat cycle. 

New Budget

Dunwoody city hall is all abuzz. Seems that the mayor and folks on council have un-retreated and decided there will be a new budget. And a new way of getting it. This entails two major changes. First, zero-based budgeting and second a revenue-neutral model. 

A zero-based budget ensures that needless bureaucracy falls away as it becomes unneeded as demonstrated by its own inability to justify its existence. In other cases where outright elimination is not warranted there remains a once-a-year opportunity to "right size" elements of the bureaucracy. The hope is this will put an end to a fifteen year run of cancerous expansion at city hall. 

The revenue neutral model ensures that as the tax digest increases as it has for each of the last fifteen years, the true beneficiaries will be the tax paying residents since the millage rate will be adjusted, downward, to reflect the fiscal prudence promised at the outset. Any budgetary increases must pass through the zero-based budgeting process and cannot be added with a dismissive wave of the hand and a mumbling of "inflation" as is currently done. 

This will result in real people, with real faces, and real names, standing before the city to plead the case for their wants, to be held up against our needs. When this city was being formed a commitment to fiscal responsibility was a major plank in the platform, and with these new budgetary processes that commitment may finally be kept. 

You Said. They Heard.

King John, on his blog, said:

"Because we are currently at our maximum millage rate and based on everything I am hearing, in 2026 our operating revenue will not be keeping up with expenses."

But some, particularly folks who were here over fifteen years ago when advocates put on the hard sell for a city, actually heard:

"Because we did not keep our commitment to fiscal prudence, expenditures are out of control and will exceed revenues in 2026, despite tax increases every single year since that commitment was made."

Apparently there is no "master plan" addressing fiscal responsibility.

Guest Post: Heart To Heart

After far too long, TOD is re-visited by the Calinky Cousin's Cuisine, and once again, it does not disappoint. The years and pandemic have softened the rougher edges leaving the language only slightly spicier than the meal. As is the case with almost all non-manufactured food, finding out where food really comes from can trigger folks. But you know what? It turns out that experts all over the interweb now agree with TOD that if you find yourself triggered, that's your problem. So buck up buttercup. Plus, if you're easily triggered, what the hell are you doing here?

So once again, here we go... 

I really have to thank ya for turning me on to that dawg meat store over in Athens. Man, they got the best bacon outside of gramps' back yard, and I don't have to slop their hogs. I know I told ya, and I'm pretty sure ya forgot, but I had planned on stopping in on the way here. Maybe get some ribs or steaks or maybe even one of them "picanha" which sounds like a South American fish, but ain't. I got there 'bout time they opened, and lo and behold they had lamb. Not just chops and racks and legs, but they had off cuts. Heart and liver. Fine eatin'. Now come to find out they only had one heart cuz they had given, like fer free, the rest to some school so they could cut it up, which is what we're about to do. Only difference is, we're gonna eat ours and I bet they threw theirs away. 

Now a lot of folks take a lamb heart and stuff it. Usually with a sausage stuffing like Aunt Norma used to make for her Thanksgiving bird. It's like they think a lamb heart is some meaty bell pepper. We ain't gonna do that. We're gonna clean it up, break it down, marinate it, grill it and slice it. Just like we did that beef heart last time ya stopped by. Ya know...ya really could show up for something other than a funeral. We are running low on relatives. And maybe even dress like someone other than Johnny Cash. 

So first off we gotta trim some fat. Not all of it, but we really wanna get the big chunks at the top and maybe trim some of the thicker bits on the sides. Ya gotta leave some for flavor but since we're gonna grill this, if ya leave too much ya might end up with a grease fire. That ain't no way to smoke yer meat. 

Now ya mighta noticed, if ya put yer damn phone down, that this heart came with some of the plumbing still hooked up.  We're gonna cut that out. 

And while we're at it let's open this up so we can get to some of the lining on the inside, cuz we wanna make that disappear too. If ya got a pet, a real pet, like a cat or a dog, ya can take all those trimmings and make a friend for life. Ya might wanna feed yer dog a sweet tater first. Just sayin'. 

There ya go. Two fine looking pieces of Little Dead Quadruped ready for a marinade. And we're gonna keep that simple, and only make a little bit of it. We don't need this swimming in a pool, just enough to coat the meat. A bit of oil, some cumin, black pepper and make a garlic paste with one clove and a little salt. Ya let that stew in the fridge for a few hours, overnight if ya can, but we ain't, and we're ready to grill. 

Ya do remember the first rule, maybe the only rule, about cooking meat, dontcha? That's right. Don't overcook it. And before ya start grilling put on a pot of rice to go with them hearts, and we can throw in some olives and capers like ya do with that fancy sauce ya make. What's that ya called it again? Hmmm. Yeah. Italian whore sauce*. But we'll just use the olives and capers.  Ya can get those out. Now. 

Off the grill ya gotta let it rest, but not as much as ya might with a chop or a steak. Heart is pure muscle, real lean, so it is easy to ruin by overcooking but it don't need much of a rest. So then we're gonna slice it, not too thick, not too thin, and plate up with rice and artichokes. Ya did remember to grill the artichokes didn't ya?

Look at that. Ya didn't overcook it. 

Now what happened to that liver?

* Puttanesca. Look up "puttan" in your favorite online Italian-English dictionary. 

Do You Suppose...

...an occasional police presence might keep things like this from happening?

Nah. The juice just ain't worth the squeeze.

Will The Last To Leave...

...turn out the light?

Consider It Done

Oh Publix! You Were Doing So Well.

Some time ago, as rumor has it, a resident spoke to the folks at the Publix in daVille regarding the no truck zones. From that time forward Publix has routed their trucks to avoid the no truck zones as they should. And as they did. Until today. 

There is some reason to believe this was a mistake. The driver originally intended to turn left, perhaps after seeing the "no truck" sign on Roberts, to continue on Chamblee Dunwoody at which point the driver may have seen the "no truck" sign on CDR. In any event the driver stopped, mid intersection, and after some delay continued on Roberts. Without the requisite forty acres the choices were limited. 

Perhaps if the driver had seen the "no trucks" sign at the corner of CDR and the Parkway this would have been avoided. It is hard to fault a driver for not seeing a sign that is flat on the ground and has been for over a week. It is perfectly reasonable to fault a failed city government. 

Some Dare Call It Asylum

The AJC Gets It Right

Timing Is Everything

With the coronation of a new DeKalb School Superintendent, Dunwoody's Top Cop finally got his long lusted for authorization for speed enforcement cameras in school zones. To be clear, and Top Cop has been, if not for these cameras there will be no traffic enforcement in school zones. Never has been. Never will be. Actions speak louder than words.

And then the law stepped in. Or it is about to. 

It appears that Dunwoody's FOMO (on $$$) is well founded, regardless of the pre-authorization protests that it isn't about money (it is) and it is all about children's safety (it isn't). How do we know? Because these speed enforcement cameras are in operation in other jurisdictions and it is most certainly about the money. Again, actions really do speak louder than words. In these jurisdictions it has become all too clear that for-profit companies have been abusing the opportunity to fleece the flock and the flock is pissed as they feel they've only authorized real cops to do the shearing. Under the gold dome, Representatives and Senators have heard from constituents and are actually listening. They are working on HB 348 which would apply some serious limits on the financial operation of these camera systems, and HB 1126 which rolls back the 2018 law thereby prohibiting the use of these cameras. 

Has the window of opportunity closed or can Dunwoody pull off a quick money-grab? The smart money is betting on greed.

No New Toys...

...until you learn to take care of the ones you already have.

Put A Rock In It

This is how Dunwoody takes care of infrastructure. Now if you'd give them $60M they'd replace all this with an interstate lane as mandated by The Shining PATH. 

Only A Government Can Do This

If you've been keeping track of the alleged murderer of Laken Riley you may have noticed something absolutely gobstopping. If you haven't, well, everyone hopes you come out of that coma. What you may have noticed in about one third of the news outlets is a quote from the Feds regarding the interactions between Customs and Border Protection and the arrested alleged murderer. Let's quote the quote:

"...arrested Ibarra Sept. 8, 2022, after he unlawfully entered the United States near El Paso, Texas. He was paroled and released for further processing."

So much is wrong with this failed state gobbledyspeak. Unlawfully? Say what you mean, and you mean he is here illegally. But what leaps out of this mind fart is "released for further processing." What kind of processing? Who does this processing? When does it happen? Come to find out they expected a recently released unlawful actor to...and here's were it gets Orwellian...follow the law. That's right, someone in D.C. expects a person who just got caught, red handed, breaking the law, to come on in for fingerprinting and then file an asylum claim. No worries, no hurries, whenever you get a round tuit. The folks touting "common sense" when it comes to gun control are senseless when it comes to border control. And do not mention his brother, who is also here illegally, using a fake green card, because pulling on that thread exposes the ugly underside of the illegal immigrant industry, and those in government who support it. 

Perhaps you can be forgiven if this hasn't shown up on your radar. If you're true blue, you probably tune in to the over 60% of media that are left-leaning, who've ignored the illegal immigrant fact, whilst doing some victim blaming suggesting women shouldn't be out alone. It is as if they are saying "girls, it just ain't safe, and we're OK with that." Well some folks are not OK with that. Anyone, male, female, or swirling in decision, should be able to engage in an outdoor activity, solo, without putting their health or life at risk. If the allegations are true, the murderer used a weapon of opportunity, and we all know who gave him that opportunity. It wasn't the victim. 

Hard To Keep A Good Sign

Good sign run over once again.

Note The Tire Track

Pole banner put up by some city minion, without even considering removal of the illegal commercial sign. 

Is This An Endorsement?

Willis Wonky

Fani, Fani, Fani. What have you done? It seems you've painted a target on the back of every Black person in America. And you sucked your dad into this, with him testifying:

"It's a Black thing. Most Black folks, they hide cash or they keep cash." 

Really? Is that part of "The Talk?" Whatever. Now you've got every bad actor out there thinking any and every Black person is a walking ATM.

One Of These Is Not Like The Others

OK, OK. Two of these are not like the others.

Can You Find Them?

The first is obvious. It is the closest light that just cannot seem to stay on, switching on/off every few minutes. Has done this for quite some time. The other might be less obvious. Not much but a little less. It is the glaring, gawdawful super bright, super white LED light. The only one on the entire parkway. This is how this city does infrastructure maintenance. Do you really want them to get their hands on more infrastructure?

Whisper Sweet Nothings

Folks are at it again. The "local control" banners, buttons and bumper stickers are being handed out, this time for the proposed city of Mulberry. The referendum bill has passed in the legislature and the governor has signed off, and an interesting city it will be. The city charter is worth a read and in the vein of "there ought to be a law," reading the charter should be required before you're allowed to vote. 

There are some key takeaways.

Like Dunwoody, the city tax millage rate is limited by law. Unlike Dunwoody, it is pegged at 0 mills. That's right, ZERO. Can you imagine how our crop of tax-and-spend whiners would squeal with a limit like that? Of course the Mulberrians must be on constant alert as at the first charter "update" some greedy bastard will want to raise that limit if not eliminate it entirely. 

Perhaps more interesting is all-things-city-manager is left blank, as in "reserved." Perhaps they are wise enough to avoid a city manager and the inevitable bloated bureaucracy that entails. Maybe they want to ensure a limited time contract, say 3 years, for the city manager. Perhaps they will contract it all out and given it is "city-lite" that may be the plan. Or it may be a sneak attack against trusting Mulberrians. In any event, prudent Mulberrians should ask, and demand, answers to critical questions. Go not blindly into that danger zone. 

Worthy of note is that the city will not provide police and fire, keeping these services with the county. Would that we had been so wise. Perhaps the Mulberrians have learned from the huge mistakes made by Dunwoody (can you say "losing court battles?"). But they also need to be on guard against a "developers' authority" and selling your soul to outside grants. That is if they are really committed to local control.

We WERE Warned

Shortly after the Shining PATH Bond failed we were warned that folks addicted to endless taxing, spending and bureaucratic bloat, some of whom count themselves amongst the original evangelists of citihood, are now trying to market a workaround to violate all the promises made when they asked for our votes. It makes you wonder if they knew this all along with no intention of hewing true to the stories they used to herd the sheep. And that original promise? Fiscal responsibility. The promise, backed by the CVI study, that the city could provide services superior to the county on an $18M annual budget, which adjusted for inflation (42% over that period) is less than $26M. That was the promise, and to calm any fears and mistrust of future greeds, the millage rate was capped. In the early years city bloat was satisfied with back-door tax increases due to rises in property valuations, but bloat has a way of snowballing and millage rate increases were required to feed the beast. 

Now even that cannot satisfy current bureaucratic bloat and the sales pitch is neither unexpected nor clever. Riddled with political speak and equivocations, it attempts to conflate wants with needs. It also speaks from the rather odd perspective that the failure of the Shining PATH Bond means that Dunwoody voters will not approve any referendum, when in fact it is more a statement that the community does not want these cult-like paradise pavers desecrating our city. This is further ignored when we are treated to a false dilemma: do we want reduced services like police, road paving, and parks/sidewalk maintenance (note there is no mention of Shining PATHs), or do we want higher taxes? Assuming a tax referendum would fail, the proposal is to bypass any millage rate referendum in favor of "special tax districts," creating another form of back-door taxing. Again, we were warned.

Is this a serious proposition? Really? 

How about you, the royal you, live up to your original promise? Wouldn't that be a breath of fresh air? And just how are we to believe promises made now, often by the same folks who made these broken promises, that somehow this is different, that we should place any trust in them? Or how about this: how about instead of more, and more expensive policing, we put in place a department, within a sound city organizational structure, that is well managed and doesn't cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars in doomed, self-inflicted legal battles? Or maybe we realize that crisis funding, known to be temporary, isn't an opportunity to permanently bloat the bureaucracy? Or maybe the tax base would not be, or would not have been, on a downward trend had they not handed out tax "incentives" like mardi gras beads and maybe, just maybe, imposed impact fees on developments that everyone knows were going to happen anyway? That all sounds like fiscal prudence, doesn't it? And that is exactly what we were promised, so if they'd like to withdraw that promise, that commitment, how about we dissolve the city charter first? Maybe we were better off as a part of unincorporated DeKalb, because that seems to be the underlying truth of what they are saying now.

And think about this: the current DeKalb CEO is far, far, better, by any measure, than the current Dunwoody City Manager, and we get to elect the CEO.

Infant Mortality

HR 836 is likely to never make it out of committee, and is probably just flag waving by the resolution's sponsor, pandering to a specific constituency. It proposes to enshrine abortion rights into the state's constitution by way of an amendment. A well crafted amendment would probably pass, even in Georgia, but this resolution borders on nonsense. 

The language is politically correct avoiding any mention of female, male, woman or man, referring instead to "individuals," dodging the wrath of the biological science deniers but somehow making it appear as if some issue is being avoided. The sponsor takes the most extreme position of unrestricted abortion. This avoids the "viability" battle line, which is constantly moving against the abortion supporters, also avoiding the arbitrary "this many weeks" restrictions. It makes you wonder what limit would be acceptable. Crowning? Cut the cord? Pass the APGAR? Should the state set the minimum score? Sound extreme? So does avoiding the discussion altogether.

One topic absent from all abortion rights advocacy is the notion of "Y-Rights." He (let's be biologically correct rather than politically correct) gets no say, certainly no supremacy, for example no one supporting abortion supports the right for the man to unilaterally determine the pregnancy must be terminated. Where is the Equal Rights Amendment when you need it? Or, if that's a right not available to Y-Guys, how about allowing them to permanently, completely and irrevocably terminate the relationship, without cost, penalty, or responsibility. It is, after all, the woman's choice. 

Does this all sound ludicrous? Yes, it does. Why? Because it is. But right now that is where we are, with little but nonsense coming from pontificators on both sides of the issue, an issue that will not be resolved until they sit down, shut up and let adults discuss this like adults. Don't hold your breath.

They really, REALLY, don't give a...

...[your favorite expletive here]. And just what is it they don't care about? That would be you. And your community. And how you want your community to look, now or in the future. And they don't care to take a few moments to ponder just what the recent referendum vote was a referendum on. To be fair, King John did raise the issue. Pb balloon.

When they got down to business it was the business of moving money around for their singular obsession: paving an interstate highway lane across folks' front yards. All done without the bother of a budget meeting. Debate, deliberation, open records and all that. Why bother? King John took issue with this as well.

All this reveals a couple of things. Their "plans" really aren't, what with "design change" and all that. Turns out one of their paving projects now goes right across a few yards which may be a surprise to the homeowners as no one bothered to inform them. Not even Mother Earth Mayor. Or maybe they kept her in the dark as much as they have mere homeowners. The other is that they are all about paving our paradise. You do have to wonder how many of these bureaucrats actually live in Dunwoody. And there can no longer be any doubt that almost none of that $60M would have been spent on parks. Well maybe paving parking lots over green space in parks, but almost all was pre-allocated to their pet project. 

Here's a thought. Do you think there is a licensed real estate appraiser who would say these concrete lanes in your front yard would increase your home value and specifically by how much? Or, is it more likely they'd say it causes a decrease in value? If so, since the city government is taking value without the owner's permission, shouldn't eminent domain apply?

Fighting Liberty

Nope. Did not forget a word in the title and certain not "for." This is about shenanigans under the gold dome, specifically a senate bill to impose an outright, state-wide ban on ranked-choice voting. Proposed by Republicans and passing on party lines, but only because it was paired with changes to undermine the office of the Secretary of State. Otherwise, it would have had overwhelming bi-partisan support. Why? Because ranked-choice threatens the power duopoly held by the Democrats and Republicans. What state senator wants that? The bill's sponsor claims, without any supporting evidence, that ranked-choice can lead to "danger and chaos." Clearly a politician, not a statesman.

What would a statesman say? Fortunately we have access to what a statesman actually did say, foretelling and forewarning, George Washington offered his guidance to those who came after.  

 In reference to political parties, Washington observes:

One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heartburnings which spring from these misrepresentations; they tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection. 

And further:

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

Doesn't that seem prescient?

Back to ranked-choice voting, the bill's sponsor, a Republican who is clearly targeting Raffensperger, because the sponsor questions the integrity of the polls, intends to codify a run-off system that guarantees more exposure, rather than less, to that which he faults. 

Washington was right and we should take heed.

We're Doomed

No, this is not about George Washington's warning about political parties, though he was spot on, nor about Twain's observation about anti-semites, as he was only half-right. This is about a hesitant walk thru the valley of the shadow of death known as fecebook. It is, as you might assume, best to visit infrequently as this keeps your sensibilities intact, but when you do it is a terrifying place. Truly frightening were recent comments to a post regarding Decatur City Schools capping the lunch bar tab at three.

So much to unpack.

Far too many commenters had no clue that Decatur City Schools are not part of the DeKalb County School system and proceeded to rail against DeKalb Schools. Not that DeKalb isn't a festering cesspool of problems, but the issue at hand was a completely different school system. 

Others seemed offended that there was a limit on the bar tab, and to be clear, the tapped out students still got a lunch, it was just a cheese sandwich and not a cafeteria lunch. Very likely this is cheese from the government stockpile supporting dairy farmers, and really, who doesn't like a cheese sandwich? The lactose intolerant?

And it wouldn't be complete without someone trotting out the old trope about "no learning when hungry," parroting one of the agenda factory's favorite talking points. Worthy of note is that neither the commenter nor the factory take this to the next step of observing that sleepy, or sleeping, kids cannot learn, then using this to justify public boarding schools. One must wonder why these agendas pull up short.

And the most frightening part? These folks vote.

Inflation Couldn't Save Bidenomics

For a career politician Biden seemed a bit clueless regarding Bidenomics and inflation. On second thought a whole lot of politicians are out of touch when it comes to inflation as if inflation going down after a period of large price increases is a Good Thing. Even if it is, and if only because it isn't quite as bad. Problem with that thinking is it ignores the reality that these dramatically increased prices are not returned to previous levels when inflation slows. They are not going up as fast, but they are still going up, and folks in the real world are suffering from the baked-in, large price increases. 

And this is what sank the USS Bidenomics. In 2022 inflation in the US was 8.2% while GDP grew at only 1.9%. Real people in the real world may not know the numbers but they feel the pain in their wallets and a continuous chorus of "How Grate I Art" could not save the ship. 

We're headed right into the eye of the silly storms so let's see if Biden can cross the ocean on the USS Abortion.

There Will Be...

...apartments!

If you rat-hole on social media you may have noticed folks complaining on local fora either about their current apartment or the difficulty of finding one that doesn't suck. Rents are going up, far beyond any other component of the cost of living, and quality of life is going down. Things remain unrepaired for months, even years. Management is unresponsive if not downright rude, and that assumes they can even be found. 

And the answer to this dilemma is? Well if you ask any developer, and the city bureaucrats only too happy to lend them an ear, that would be build more apartments. Not build better apartments, build more. Building better apartments might cut the cycle of planned dilapidation turning off the revenue stream of building more, new apartments while the older ones fester and decay. Where's the profit in that? 

There is one thing worthy of note in the online descriptions of the downward spiral and that is the use of the word ghetto, as in ghetto people. This was in very negative reference to a complex to avoid. It wasn't surprising that the word was used, it probably is very accurate, but that there where no ad hominem  attacks. In this world were so many are just waiting to express outrage and condemnation this passed without notice. Maybe everyone knows these were ghettos-in-the-making from the day they broke ground.

Federal Money Runs Out

An AJC staffer recently published a political op-ed as a pre-emptive strike against upcoming legislation regarding money-follows-the-child vouchers dragging out all the usual objections cloaked in subjective comparisons. The problem with these pieces is they require a setup before the big pivot. The setup was far more revealing than the predictable "we hate vouchers" coming from a voice noted for chanting "public school, public school, uber alles."

In this case the setup was all the federal money, soon to run out, that was thrown at public schools...because CoVid. 

The federal bandaid on their self-inflicted crisis (assisted by AFT) is about to be ripped off, though Cardona prefers to present this as passing the baton to the states. This is predictable and has worked before. It is a common practice for the feds to dump in money to get local governments to start programs which then must be continued, at local expense. The feds have tried this with medicaid expansion that has been successfully resisted by only a few states. And this sell-off of local control happens at all levels. Dunwoody has been doing this through grant-grubbing since its inception.

It gets better. The tee-up includes the rationalization that this money was needed, and used, to address learning loss and mental health issues (how is that education?) caused not as much by CoVid but by the federal government's and teacher union's insistence on closing schools. This has been proven, throughout the world, to be an unnecessary and harmful over-reaction. Unless you were a teacher holding online classes from a beach in the Caribbean. The schools ceded local control to the feds and now they want the money to continue. They have a point: it is all but impossible to shrink, let alone eliminate, a government program. Think: REA. 

But public schools are facing more than a loss of federal funds or parents who have pulled back the curtain in their Emerald City. They are facing the disruption of AI, good for parents and their children, but for public schools-not so much. What parent would not want an IEP for their child, especially the parents of high achievers whose potential is never fully addressed in "bring up the back end" public schools? Who wouldn't want an individual tutor, knowledgeable in all topics? A tutor who is constantly training, who is intimately familiar with your child's current standing and trajectory-long term and short term? And when taxpayers find out the bill for this is much, much lower than the system we have, a system we would not build if we had no system at all, these taxpayers will demand a revolution. Will there be a King Ludd to save public schools? Probably not.

Betrayal

Bureaucrats at city hall are still angry they didn't get the $60M slush fund which put their commitments to Shining PATH in jeopardy. But if they are anything they are clever and their disdain for Dunwoody residents knows no limit. They are going to get their damn "paths" no matter what it takes and frankly if it harms or angers the community they seem almost proud of that. So what they've now done is strong-armed a developer who wants to build three homes on Tilly Mill into planting a twelve foot wide section of concrete in front of these new homes, forcing the cost of this trail, to and from nowhere, on these homeowners, despite the objections of residents in the area who oppose useless concrete especially on the east side of Tilly Mill. For full disclosure, the MJCC doesn't want it on their side of the street if they even want it at all. 

This hodge-podge approach didn't work in daVille with sidewalk widening mandated with property renovation/development. That was until the townhome development came along and they folded like a cheap suit. Or did they? Was it quid pro quo? Seriously, if it is all about master plans and commitment why aren't there wide sidewalks in front of that development? After all there is built-in foot traffic. It is worth noting there seems to be no wide-sidewalk activity with the renovations at the corner of the Parkway and Mount Vernon. All this makes the Tilly Mill situation look like vindictive retribution. 

And what of our Mother Earth Mayor and her Council of Clowns? When it comes to rescuing inflatable yard art due to public outcry, there will be changes, indicating they can at least ask the bureaucrats even if they cannot demand. Despite public outcry against their Tilly Mill vandalism and the rebuke at the ballot box they seem content to sit there and wait for a city bureaucrat to call "switch." It is clear they are willing and capable of action, but they have not (and probably will not) take action in defense of real people with blood in their veins and more than air in their heads. They have made baffling choices as they refuse to include residents in their chosen constituency. 

Where does this originate? Is it that the kumbaya lobbying at GMA has infected Mother Earth Mayor with FOMO? Is it simply the condescending paternalism (and increasingly, maternalism) that runs rampant in the political class: you don't know what is good for you so we're going to do this anyway. Does Shining PATH have polaroids of folks doing something unseemly with a chicken? Is there quid pro quo? Will we ever know? This city is not known for transparency. 

And what is happening in the fifteenth anniversary year of the referendum's passage? Our Mother Earth Mayor and her Council of Clowns have taken turns stabbing "local control" in the back. And twisting the knife.

You Win

The local whining society has been harping for sometime about their dissatisfaction with the business makeup of daVille. Standard fare are the cheap shots about the number of banks disregarding the fact that it has been called "Bankwoody" since before Versatile Video was selling Commodore PET microcomputers. They seem to think we need more pizzerias because after Sal's closed to make room for a larger Publix we just haven't had anyplace to buy a pizza. Or maybe they just don't like Urgent Care facilities. Well, if that's the case, they just got a win as a long time urgent care center in daVille is packing it up and calling it quits. 

Maybe the whiners will get together, pool their money and open one of the trendy restaurants they go on and on about. Or, maybe just another bank.

Got A Bone To Pic

Pulling Your Leg?

Why Do They Do It?

Why? Suicide? Corporate suicide that is. 

The latest "victim" of self-inflicted destruction is none other than the Associated Press. Now we all know that this affliction ran thru the mainstream media during the pandemic like the virus ran thru the populace with the level of disinformation reaching cosmic and comic proportions second only to Hunter Biden's laptop. 

It's one thing when the gray lady soils her clothes but this is the AP, the same AP that publishes the style guide used by journalists in the know. These are the folks who declared that Black should be The Big Guy and white is the little folk. Fine. Honestly that is innocuous enough but they really blew it on an article damning the folks they allege took down Claudine Gay, though plagiarism makes it a clear academic suicide. 

The article started out as a typical bias-hit-piece currently of no surprise from this outlet but quickly went to "roll up the pants it's too late to save the shoes" when they casually laid out the "fact" that scalping was a practice used by white (note the little-w) colonists against natives. Fair enough, there were times that was true, but the lie is one of omission and a monstrous lie it is. Scalping did not first arrive on this continent with the white colonists (it is now politically incorrect to call them settlers as "colonist" has become a weaponized pejorative even used here in Dunwoody) and the colonists actually learned of the practice after they arrived. Wonder how?

Indicative of shifting winds the AP was blasted for this horrible example of yellow journalism (can you still say that?).  The AP's response? A re-edit, unacknowledged by the AP and not noted in the article that can best be described as weaselly. It is the journalistic equivalent of sorry-not-sorry which has become the only expected response from what, decades ago, was responsible media. 

With mainstream media remaking themselves into the journalistic equivalent of professional wrestling this election year is going to be very entertaining.

Who Hates The Deer?

Turns out to be folks who own, and probably claim to love, dogs. You may have noticed, among other cultural invasions, the sudden rise in folks who bag their dog's poop and then just leave the bag. Sometimes in someone else's yard. Sometimes on the sidewalk as if that is somehow, in some narcissistic alternative world, better. 

But then it becomes more than just unsightly. Ruminants, including deer, have been found to ingest these plastic encased poop bombs. The results can be lethal. Maybe this is their intent. Maybe they think, that by culling the deer [over]population they provide a public service. Or, maybe they just don't think. Maybe they can't.