Just Passing Through

Actually, they live here.

Two Together

Leader Of The Pack

Trophies on the hoof. Who says we have too many deer in daVille?

When The High Tech Betrays You

Low Tech Just Works

It Isn't Easy Being Blue

This isn't about the blue stain on city hall fueling unlimited spending and it isn't about the blue hysteria around Biden reverting to the 2020 campaign tactic of hidin'. 

Nope. This is about the Blue Screen of Death.

Remember those? Thought that was cured didn't you? Well, you'd be wrong. Not much, maybe nothing, has changed with regards to the robustness and stability of the Windows platform, except maybe that the scope has expanded in breadth and severity. The story, accepted for god knows what reason, is that with adequate add-ons Windows can be made just as reliable as any other platform. Or so it was sold to enterprises, enterprises who also adopted remote management of software including updates. Once again we've proven: to err is human but to really foul things up requires a computer. A computer [system] was used for massive, rapid, unstaged, and apparently untested, rollouts of CrowdStrike FalCon updates. In the dead of the night. And sometimes, like this time, you wake up to dead systems. Millions of them. Maybe more.

And that is what just happened. And while some remote updates can be rolled back, when you get a Blue Screen of Death, you have a bricked computer, a doorstop. And keep in mind, this is a Windows platform, where all too many software updates require a reboot, and when that reboot hits the Blue wall, your computers are automagically Out Of Service. Return To Service requires organic intervention. That's right, manual recovery. One. Computer. At. A. Time. So while the rollback image may be available in short order, actually getting back to normal is going to take a long, long time, or an army of techs, or both. This is gonna make Y2K look like a joke (it kinda was). 

This will not only cost billions of dollars in lost revenue, it will actually cost lives. In the UK, doctors are triaging, taking only the most patients, leaving the others without care. Globally, hospitals are cancelling elective surgeries, prioritizing the most urgent. Care deferred is lives lost, and the corporate decision makers have blood on their hands. Think of that when you cannot buy that latte. 

But thinking locally, are we really impacted? After all, aren't our voting systems running atop Windows? Yes, yes they are. And here's where irony kicks in. The version of Windows in these devices is no longer supported, as in no updates, automatic or otherwise. Furthermore, they are not likely to run the CrowdStrike package, and it seems that while source code control is somewhat lacking, actual updates to the system are treated seriously, almost fearfully. Not that this happy circumstance is a result diligence or foresight, but this is Georgia and we'll take what we can get. 

So let's hope we've paid our dues.

Try Again. This One Isn't Working.

Happens often. Laws never enforced.

Job ONE! Never DONE!

Mall Cops

There was a recent incident at Perimeter Mall that made the Blue Bag Rag's Police Blotter involving two masked yutes carry sometimes concealed, sometimes not so much, pistols. The mall's cops were first to spot them, and you gotta wonder if they don't really stand out wearing masks as these masks were not described as the pandemic variety. The mall cops escalated to DPD who came and confronted the yutes. 

This is where it gets hinky. Upon approach, one yute revealed his pistol and placed his hand on the grip. Now, before George Floyd that probably would have reduced the yute count from two to one, requiring a Weapon Discharge Report, but not in this case. In this case, the yutes were detained and juvenile detention was contacted and the police were informed that this situation did not rise to the level of detaining these yutes. Instead these yutes were charged, including gun charges, and delivered unto their grandmother and mother, respectively. No mention of a male biological contributor being involved.

So. You gotta wonder. Just what would these yutes have to do in order to warrant being detained? Keep in mind the firearms were possessed illegally as these yutes were not old enough to have them in their possession. Maybe if they'd actually discharged a firearm? Or, would they have to hit someone? Not enough? Well, what if they killed someone?

All we know for certain is these yutes were set free and only a fool would believe they have not already re-armed. 

Camps Run Amuck

Camp season is in full swing with an enormous variety of camps based on day or stay, general activities, and affiliations. Dunwoody has a unique camp, because Dunwoody is unique despite the best efforts of some to force us into banality, and our camp is:

That's right! We have "Camp Carpool!" Your children will be introduced to backseat etiquette, how to pinch a sibling without being caught, license plate bingo, I Spy (with my little eye), and all the verses to 99 Bottles. The only restriction is that you cannot walk your child to camp. You must drive. 

QR Codes? Really?

Dunwoody Village tends to get littered with illegal signs, well, because, no enforcement. And they tend to hang around a while, sometimes literally. But there is something you may have noticed about these offensive signs polluting our community: they very often have QR codes. This is interesting because, as almost anyone without a sign knows, internet advertising is the way the world works these days. So why can't they get with the times? Plus, If you actually put up one of these illegal signs, QR code or not, you're just insulting folks who might have been customers. 

Let's look at a couple of examples stinking up the Village.

Really? HOW neighborly are you?

This is an astounding display of arrogance claiming status as a "neighborly company." Well, here's a clue "neighbor": this sign is illegal and that, around these parts, isn't considered neighborly. This alone is enough reason to never do business with your company. 

Look At Those Screws

This one is pole mounted, and these jerks were not just jerking around, they were screwing around. That's right, this bad boy is literally screwed to the pole. Hell, the city doesn't put up signs that securely. Once again, there are many folks who offer pressure washing services, and you're one that no one in daVille should ever consider.

Where Were You?

This is a party game: where were you when <fill in the blank> happened? You know, like 9/11, the shuttle disaster, the Kennedy assassinations, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, or the fall of Saigon (or Kabul). But that's not today's diatribe. Today's question is put to the Fourth Estate: where were you, where the hell have you been and what have you been doing?

The AJC, given cover by the Grey Lady, is spilling ink ostensibly editorializing that Biden should step aside because of sudden onset age. Yep, he's an overnight octagenarian. To hear these two pontificate you'd think Biden went from the vim and vinegar of a mid-life crisis (he does own a Corvette) to full blown old-age senility. And the Fourth Estate? Well, they didn't see that coming. Really? 

To be kind, the AJC opinion piece is filled with merde de cheval, and predictably so, as it is consistent with previous behavior. By headline this is billed as a call for Biden to step aside. For the good of the country, wink, wink. But, as they always have, they digressed into a hit piece on Trump. This harped on the only thing the debate offered: CNN fact checkers accuse Trump of thirty prevarications. Not noted by the AJC are Biden's nine lies or his long history of a strained relationship with the truth. Not that one liar is better than another, but in their partisanship it seems the editorial board would have you believe one, their one, is better. Their argument against Trump is nonsensical and arrogant. Nonsensical in that they characterize their enemy as a pathological liar yet quote him suggesting those quotes are gospel truths. Arrogant in that they believe, and expect us to believe, that they are somehow the sole arbiters of truth, when all they really have is what we all have: an opinion. 

But they simply could not leave bad enough alone, they had the chutzpah to bring up George Washington's "farewell address," specifically in regards to partisanship. The AJC editorial staff is unashamedly leftist, AKA Democrat, and they are unrelenting in bashing Republicans. Exclusively. This is an Orwellian level of propaganda born of intense hubris. They claim to be our source of real news, of objective information, yet their leftward tilt leads them into biased reporting replete with misleading language and disinformation. 

And if we are to believe they are so damned knowledgeable how could they be blindsided? How could it be that they were surprised? Or, maybe they weren't. Maybe they knew all along, after all, anyone watching the D-Day ceremonies witnessed this same senility on parade. If they didn't know they should have. Either way they have violated a public trust and maybe, just maybe, they are the ones who have finally stepped aside.

Me-Oh, My-Oh, What About Ohio?

Due to Biden's incredible debate performance, Democratic movers and shakers are doing more shaking than moving, and any movement is in the direction of "anyone but Biden." And they don't even know who to replace him with.

Then there are the actual logistics. This is where Ohio comes in. See, Ohio had a nomination deadline for a candidate to appear on the ballot, and that deadline was before the Democrat's convention where Biden would formally become the nominee. Now some are saying that if Biden drops out, the delegates would be able to vote their conscience for a replacement. Problem is, the Democrats have already held a virtual nominating convention to ordain Biden in advance of the Ohio deadline. This makes Biden the official, the legal nominee, making the convention itself a charade.

If, and it is a big if, the DNC plays by the rules, their rules, it would fall to the DNC to select Biden's replacement. How democratic is that?

Stupid's Back

If you stroll the Knoll you have probably noticed a new addition to the Chamblee-Dunwoody intersection that cropped up overnight like some kind of mushrooms. Yep. Two new, pretty much unnecessary sources of light pollution. Remember when the city gave a hairy rodent's rectum about light pollution? Of course you do. But look, it gets better.

Here They Are

Not just two, but two different types, two styles. Let's take a closer look at the shorter of the two.

Oddly Familiar

Doesn't this look like the pole lights on Dunwoody Village Parkway? It does. Well, except for one notable exception. 

This is the one they replaced and this is where things get stupid. Again. The Knoll tells us that there are indeed replacement lights that are visually consistent with all the others on DVP, at least when it isn't lit, but Stupid chose this atrocity. But wait! It gets worse. Because this is what the not-so-long-ago city mandated residential streetlight looks like.

Hard to see, but notice the similarities: open frame; straight lines. Just like the DVP atrocity. 

So here's what happened. A DVP style streetlight was installed in a residential area where all the other streetlights are of a different, conflicting style, but a replacement light on DVP is in the residential style, conflicting with what was there and all the others that remain. How stupid is that?

Obits And Police Blotters

What do these things have in common? These are the two items in a newspaper that are generally published without a byline. The content is often sourced, in whole or part, from outside the news organization and while these are both legitimately news and informative they are not really products of the paper, though they may be edited for length and clarity. Or they may not. 

This weeks Blue Bag Rag came with an interesting front page "news article." What makes it interesting? Not the content as it is politico boiler plate whenever the city commits the sin of omission by neglecting to  change to a roll-back millage rate. They continually harp on "we didn't raise the property tax rate" while standing idly by as the actual taxes go up. Nothing to see here.

To be fair, that is the actual fact. They didn't use the roll back rate, but they didn't increase it either, perhaps because they're at the legal limit. And if you look at their planning you will notice something of interest.

No Intention Of Reining In Costs

What residents, what voters, what taxpayers should be focusing on is not [just] the annual mandatory tax hike, but the profligate, ever increasing spending at city hall, staffed by bureaucrats who are completely out of control. Perhaps it is time to elect folks with the stomach, and the spine, to make the changes necessary to meet the original promise of financial responsibility.

Watch Them Tapdance

Property digest assessments are coming out and we get to watch the annual tap dance of our circus clowns as they flop around trying to convince taxpayers that they, these politicians, did not actually raise our taxes. Actually, they did. You see, in the absence of a "roll back millage rate" the total tax digest goes up, the government (pick one, city, schools, or county) taxes do go up. 

Now you can expect to hear either little or nothing from our local politicos, or perhaps you'll hear about an assessment freeze. This freeze only applies if you have a homestead exemption on your Dunwoody property, so if this isn't the case, your taxes will go up, perhaps significantly, every year. And, if you rent, well, that homestead exemption doesn't apply, and while you do not see the taxes itemized on your lease (perhaps you should) you are indeed paying these taxes and suffering from the annual increases. Given city hall's recent love affair with rental units, increasing by the hundreds, more and more voters are suffering from the city's annual tax increase. 

When properties sell, and they do, even in Dunwoody, the value marks to market so the purchaser is likely in for a hell of a surprise when they start paying two, three or four times in taxes above what the seller was paying. Oh, and for that, they still will not see traffic enforcement in our drive thru zones. They'll just pay more to not get the same services the seller wasn't getting. 

Welcome to Dunwoody.

Wally Whirled

The ethersphere is all a-twitter with the recent, somewhat sudden, announcement that the Wally World megastore on Ashford Dunwoody is set to close. Feelings are mixed. Some have been put out with the self-serve nature of this outlet. Others are confused by mens' underwear kept under lock and key. Given that, and all the other items inaccessible without an employee with a key, some suspect these are anti-theft measures (they are) suggesting Wally has a shrinkage problem. Maybe Dunwoody is urban after all. 

Some are even suggesting competition from the Publix across the street and the Target around the corner was too great. Given Wally's buying power and supply chain, that seems unlikely. Much more likely that Wally is making a clear statement about Dunwoody not being a place for their business. Is anyone listening?

Folks are already discussing how others can take over the location, and spend money to indulge their peccadillos. Silly, but that's probably a good place to start. How about one of those trendy food courts? Oops. Already have one that is in competition with the one in the mall. Indoor pickleball? Maybe. How about a flea market? Just think, if everyone can walk around with open containers it could be real fun. Or, kick it up a notch, and make it like the old flea market down on Piedmont where the MARTA headquarters is now. You know, eighty percent market booths with food stalls along the back. Best of both worlds: food court and flea market. 

Like they say, you can't be trashy 'til you spend a lot of money, and we know city hall is down with both. Wonder where they'll look for the grant money.

Makes You Wonder, Doesn't It?

Another Casualty

It makes you wonder who knocks these down. It makes you wonder who puts them back up. And then, this is where it rabbit holes, it makes you wonder why.

Why put up a sign that is nothing more than a testament to this city's failure to enforce its own laws? Why make this city a punchline more than is absolutely necessary? Why? Do you expect the new Top Cop to be any better than his mentor? Even if he wants to be, will the city manager allow it? Are we going to suddenly see traffic laws enforced in Dunwoody's residential areas? Will tickets be issued to trucks violating the zone this sign defines? Will red-light runners, and there are many, in the Village, and other shopping areas, be ticketed? Speeders? They all know that Dunwoody is the Atlanta version of a residential autobahn. And that shows no sign of changing.

A Real Unicorn

Tis the season for all things property tax with an Annual Notice of Assessment coming to a mailbox near you. It is worthy to note that these mailings generally arrive to the proper address in a timely fashion. But wait, there's more:

How Did THAT Happen?

You are reading that right. This year's appraised value is $46,300 LOWER than last year. That's a 7.9% decrease from 2023. If this happens very often, what will become of our politicians' favorite tax increase, where they stick it to you using the back door? Will the city file appeals? Other than losing, what are all their lawyers doing? Oh, that's right, they're pissing away our tax dollars.

Jumped A Fence To Get Here

 

ZIP Plus Four

Fun fact: ZIP plus four is supposed to specify a specific street and a specific side of that street. ZIP plus six gives the specific street address but that is rarely used. Honestly should be unnecessary as ZIP plus four and just a teeny bit of reading, like the address, should get the mail to the right box. Right?

Not so fast. The envelope below should have been delivered to an address on a street just off Peeler a mile or so east of the intersection with Chamblee Dunwoody. 

Didn't See That Coming

Now where do you suppose gloomy day USPS dropped this off? All the way across town. A stones throw away from Fulton County and Big Sis Sandy. Seriously. It landed about 2.3 miles away from the ZIP plus four designation. 

Now, this looked legit and pretty important, so the unintended recipient drove it over to the proper address and dropped it off in the mailbox. And if you've signed up for "Informed Delivery" you probably already know that where your mail ends up is pretty random. How many times have you gotten the email with a picture of mail, perhaps very important mail, that never shows up? Don't you wish someone would drop by with it?

Did You Ever REALLY Believe?

Did you believe all the hype around the referendum? Really? Well, do you remember that one huge bone of contention was the county allowing the direct conversion of commercial properties to apartments? Remember when Dunwoody was actually proud of being suburban, before suburban became a bad word? When the fight was to prevent transients in apartments in deference to owned homes, townhomes and condos. 

Well, now we have a city founded largely on control over zoning and limiting transients in rental housing. Guess what? Folks down at city hall, elected and those just bought and paid for, have decided Dunwoody needs 300 more apartments because, well, a developer tells them that. Since when did city hall become beholding to developers instead of the residents, the voters? Well, that would be about 15 years ago. Seems like this was a take-over plan from day one.

So. Did you ever really believe what you were told leading up to the referendum? Or, did you know, at least down deep, that you were being lied to? Maybe you were repeating the lies. Either way, are you actually happy with how this has turned out? Really?

You Can't Fix Stupid.

You can try to hide it. You can cover it up. You just cannot fix stupid. 

But Did Stupid Leave?

But it doesn't really go away, it just lies in wait, growing stronger, looking for any opportunity to re-appear. To get rid of stupid, you must cut it out and throw it away, something this city is incapable of.

Mis&Dis Information. It''s Not Just For The Internet

A recent OpEd piece penned by Rodney Bryant came with the big, bold headline that included "we must restrict automatic weapons." To be fair to Mr. Bryant, he probably did not have any say about the headline and likely this is the AJC in full propaganda form since Bryant's piece is all about banning SEMI-automatic weapons. Of course that is pretty mainstream leftist fare trodding their well  worn path to a permission society, where they are the only ones entitled to grant permission. Nothing new to see here.

But early on Bryant goes full left wingnut advocating a total end to our form of democracy:

"It's important to recognize that the Constitution is a living document that must be interpreted in the light of changing societal circumstances."

He is saying nothing short of "your vote, or the votes of those you elect to represent you are worthless." In effect, he is calling for an expiration date on your vote, a date of the elitists choosing to be determined by them in their own good time. Ratify the ERA? Well, we'll stick with that for a while, but, ya know, society is just soooo circumstantial, so in a couple of decades we'll let black robes wash away your wishes. And why does he, and others on the left, take this approach? Because the legal, the constitutional approach requires that broad swaths of society adopt their world view, and few have. Following the constitutional process to an amendment is, by their estimation, likely to fail so they will impose their minority will on the majority by other means. The constitutionality of those means is of no concern because in their world they have already erased that document from history and for all time. They only thing that matters is what they think.

Starting Off On The Wrong Foot

Some folks start off on the wrong foot, and then just want to keep running with it. This specifically relates to HB1105 which states that if you are driving without a license, which is against the law, and as a lawbreaker the authorities are going to check your background and respond accordingly.

What is giving palpitations to some in the bleating heart community is that this will explicitly mean that if you've entered the country illegally, and you're breaking the law by driving without a license, then you'll be turned over to ICE. It is as if these visitors think that because their first act in this country, setting foot in it illegally, is breaking the law, then they should be able to disregard any laws they deem unworthy of their attention. Furthermore, when caught in violation of these laws, they should just be set free to re-offend. After all, there was no consequence for that original lawlessness so why should there ever be any consequences? 

You have to wonder if these folks think this excuses Ibarra.

GDOT Bad. PATH Good.

A recent AJC op-ed, a lament at the loss of yards and the trees on them, strikes a chord. Now this is in the faux city of Milton rather than the faux city of Dunwoody, but the similarity is the loss of property and tree cover due to outsiders. In Milton's case this is GDOT. Bad. Very Bad. Folks in Milton are protesting. Loudly. Hopefully to good effect.

In our case it is the Shining PATH Foundation. Somehow this is construed as good, without any explanation as to how Shining PATH has infiltrated and taken control of our government, previously touted as "local." There are some protests here as well, but these are summarily dismissed by city hall. Another striking similarity is the loss of property to wider beside-the-road impervious concrete, deemed "sidewalks" by GDOT, and "paths" by those shining us on. Milton wins because GDOT is only dictating 8 foot widths of concrete while our dictators demand 12. 

Maybe we can get some professional protesters to occupy city hall until "our voices are heard."

Never Send Certified Mail

Why you ask? Well, there is the distinct, non-zero probability it will never get there. Who knows why? Not the USPS. The other, perhaps more important reason is the cost. Certified mail with return receipt for a 9x12 envelope with three pages will cost almost $15. UPS ground is a little over $12.50 for the same envelope with over 30 pages. With both you will get a tracking number, and while you will not get a return receipt with UPS, you are far less likely to need it, and with USPS return receipt you have to have faith they can actually deliver. That is far from certain. There is also the issue of time. USPS delivery of regular mail between Decatur and Dunwoody can take two weeks. UPS gets it there in two days. 

So, if you think you need certified mail, reconsider. Stick with the pros. 

Sign Of Stupidity

There has been ongoing debate about putting some serious money into signs to let folks know they are in Dunwoody. Pretty much a waste of money, but city hall has gone all vain, or maybe they're just jealous that nearby faux-cities waste their money on signage. As it turns out we already have signs that clearly state "you are in Dunwoody." 

Only In Dunwoody

This sign faces west-bound traffic on Mount Vernon just before the intersection with Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. Is your favorite route to I-285 heading north on Chamblee-Dunwoody? It is if you're in this city. 

How do we know? Because this sign was recently run over, knocked down, and whoever put it back in its place failed to notice the stupidity of it all. Actually it is worse than that. Notice the "rain stains" on these signs indicating a change was recently made. 

See The Shiny Bolts?

Does this sign really serve any [legitimate] purpose? Wouldn't things be better without it? Is it the city's way of ensuring that trucks trying to avoid no truck zones are sent directly into them as they try to get to I-285? Does anyone in this city have any sense at all? Certainly not a sense of direction.

Just remember, if you see a sign this stupid, then you're in Dunwoody.

Guest Post: Postal...Going...Going...Gone

This is a tale of woe regarding the United States Postal Service, but not what you might expect. This is not about the new Palmetto facility that our grandstanding senators have been bleating about. This is far worse.

So look, I've been trying to close out an estate and as you may know, or soon will, filing a Final Report is a must-do. Cannot file the petition for Done&Dusted until the probate court gets that report. And likes it. Here's where it gets interesting. You can file lots of things online like death certificates, petitions and some forms. But they got no category for these reports, so whatcha gonna do, right? Now you could hand deliver but since the pandemic the probate court really likes keeping the public at bay so you need an appointment which is about two weeks out. And yes, I did call to see if they had a drop box, left a message and never got a call back. So then I decided to mail it. Good ole USPS. 

Now I didn't go to the post office 'cuz that is a special circle of hell. I went to one of those Mailboxes-R-Us, had them notarize the Report, print the mailing label for Certified Mail and paid for Return Receipt. This happened on April 2. Since I tracked it on Informed Delivery I'll show you what happened next.

It took three days, three whole days, for 30338 to scan it in. Keep in mind that April 2 was a Tuesday so they didn't scan it until Friday. What's up with that? Do they just let mail stack up and have a processing party on Fridays? But then, overnight, it makes a boomerang tour of North Georgia, going down to Palmetto and then back up to Decatur where it disappears. Ain't looking like Palmetto is the problem so maybe someone should share a clue with some clueless senators. And why were they whining about thirty something percent on-time delivery? Hell, what about the mail that ain't getting delivered at all. Like MINE.

So I wait a couple of days to see if it ever gets delivered and I check on the bank account to see if the enclosed check gets cashed and if so is it the proper amount. That's right, you gotta pay the probate court to do their job. It's kinda like cable TV, you know how you pay a monthly fee and then still have to watch commercials only here we pay taxes and then have to pay for ever little form we file. The very day after I put this in the mail, Carl the know-it-all tells me I should never send certified mail, especially to the court 'cuz everyone knows there is a check in there, and it will get stolen, and the check washed and cashed. So I'm waiting and watching until I figure it's time to chase this down. Then I call the Decatur post office and actually talk to a real person who says she'll look around for it and call me back. She does. She says it's not there and that someone from the courthouse comes and picks up their mail. Questions leap to mind. I asked if this means their mail doesn't get scanned as delivered? Says it should have been. Then I point out this is Certified Return Receipt and does this mean the person who picked it up didn't sign and post the receipt? Silence. Then she says she will look for it again and call me back. She doesn't. 

'Bout now I'm getting pissed. The angry kind. The wine kind comes later. I'm too old to run for the Senate and too young for the White House, but I gotta do something. After a few more days of watching, I put a payment hold on the check, for which my bank charges $23, just to make sure a lost check doesn't turn up putting money in someone else's account. But I still check in with Informed Delivery just in case the probate court finally gets the mail and gets a bum check. That is until the package disappears from Informed Delivery. So I go to USPS tracking, enter the number and click on "add to informed delivery" figuring somehow Informed Delivery had sudden amnesia. Nope. Got this:

That's right. I cannot use Informed Delivery to track a package that they have not even delivered yet. The last reported status was "Awaiting Delivery" and they have the nerve to say it's now expired and they ain't gonna say anything more about that package. It went postal and now it's just gone.

Whatever It Takes...

...to get cops to actually show up in this neck of the 'Woody.

One Way To Stop Illegal Trucks

 

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 it 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 their 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 Dunwoody character was one of comfort, convenience within the community, and accessibility 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?