Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport opens the brand new international terminal today. It will be known as Terminal F.

The importance of the new terminal can’t really be overstated. Perhaps an indication of that, the opening has garnered nationwide attention c.f.:  USA Today, “Marketplace” from APM etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if by Sunday The New York Times covers the opening.

Closer to home, The AJC reports on the projected impact of the new terminal and the path the terminal took to completion.
Personally I’m looking forward to the new terminal’s opening and will hopefully(?) use it soon. The current international arrival system is godawful and one of the least-efficient setups in the U.S. and possibly the world.

If you are on that first flight from ATL to Narita, or any other flights today/this week, let us know how it goes in the comments.

PS: So the title was a little misleading. “The Big Day” arrived about a month ago. Read all about it here in the greatest Peach Pundit thread ever, of all time.

According to CBS Atlanta, voters in Douglasville won’t be able to decide on whether or not they can purchase alcohol on Sundays.  The city council passed a ballot measure that city voters would vote upon during the November general election, but measure was vetoed by Mayor Harvey Persons.  Mayor Persons also vetoed a measure that would have allowed bars to serve alcohol until 2a on Sunday morning.

The Douglasville Patch has a letter from the Mayor explaining why he vetoed both measures:

“The Douglasville Mayor has the authority to veto any action of the City Council,” reads the statement. “These two vetoes will be reported officially to the City Council during its Tuesday, May 15, legislative work session. The City Council during its regular meeting on Monday, May 21, can override each of the Mayor’s vetoes should five members vote to do so.”

“I opposed this change in the City’s current ordinance because I believe it negatively would impact the public safety of the City and would result in our streets and roads becoming more dangerous,” Persons said of extending pouring hours till 2 a.m. on Sunday.

Regarding letting voters have the chance to vote on a Nov. 6 Sunday sales referendum, the Mayor said, “I am opposed to this, and I feel there already is sufficient time during the week when people can make purchases of packaged beer, wine, and spirituous liquor.”

As stated, the City Council has the option to override one or both of the Mayor’s vetoes if they feel so inclined.

Today’s Courier Herald Column, posted early so you can think about lunch:

40 years ago, the Watergate break in had not yet happened.  The Atari corporation introduced “Pong” to the world.  The Godfather was the top film at the box office.  And on this date in 1972, Ann Price opened a small hamburger stand on Memorial Drive in East Atlanta.

Most of the world has changed significantly since then.  Though I was not a regular customer of Ann’s Snack Bar until recently, I would be willing to bet it hasn’t changed.  It is a one counter operation that serves eight customers at a time.  “8 stools and 8 rules” is the unofficial slogan.  Ann has been preparing cheeseburgers by hand six days a week for four decades, and when you are in her establishment, there are rules.

You don’t enter Ann’s restaurant unless there is a stool open.  If you do, you are quite liable to have a spatula waved at you as you are told to wait on the porch.  You don’t curse inside Ann’s.  You don’t lean on her counter.  And I would recommend you not even think about talking on your cell phone while waiting on your order.

The rigid atmosphere of Ann’s has earned her comparisons to the “Soup Nazi”, a character from the Seinfeld TV series.  It is understandable, but unfair.  Ann is neither irrational nor unfriendly.  Quite the contrary, Ann is a pleasant and cheerful person who has a beautiful smile when you can break the concentration of her cooking and get her talking about her accomplishments.

Her accolades are many.  The Wall Street Journal has called her signature Ghetto Burger the best hamburger in America.  It is two softball sized patties fried over onion slices on a small griddle behind Ann’s counter.  It is topped with bacon, chili, ketchup, mustard, mayo, lettuce and tomato.  It fills an 8” plate and is served with an equal sized plate of fries.  For sake of variation, I prefer the Hood Burger that substitutes cole slaw for the lettuce and tomato.

There is a certain rhythm that goes along with the preparation of each burger, and this is not fast food.  Each sitting at Ann’s will take 45 minutes to an hour.  Quality and perfection will not be rushed, and haven’t been for 40 years.

Ann’s strict nature generally follows her concentration to make sure all the moving parts of getting her 8 patrons served so that she can move on to the next 8 who are waiting.  But on a good day, you can get her talking.  And given that she is just a couple of miles down from Georgia’s capitol, she could use a few more politicians to drop in and listen.

Ann is a small business person, and can give a lecture on government’s role in business.  In short, all she wants from government is to be left alone.  She can point to her newly installed fire suppression system as exhibit A.  She can recount her relationship with the various city and county administrations and how she worked with them, and they with her, over the years.  But over time, being “grandfathered in” has become less of a condition of continued operations, and new regulations have crept in.

Ann can tell you to the penny how much each of those regulations cost her for upgrading her shop.  The rule forbidding cursing in the Snack Bar is sometimes relaxed a bit during these explanations.  40 years in business does entitle one to some flexibility.  She will note with a bit of disgust that not one of these “upgrades” has done anything to help her sell burgers.

Ann can also tell you a bit about the local economy.  Though she draws folks from all around, she serves the community where she is located.  It is decidedly poor.

During a cold January morning I asked how business was going, and she lamented it was a bit slow but people would be getting their tax returns soon and things would pick up.  I offered that it could be folks dieting and thus she may be seeing the results of some New Year’s resolutions.  She shot back “People down here aren’t fat. They don’t have any money.”

I’ve won many arguments in my day.  I will not argue with Miss Ann.  I’m sure I would not win.

But I don’t go to Ann’s to argue. I do enjoy listening, and watching.  Ann is a professional, and takes pride in her business and her product.  She has for 40 years as of today.  40 years in business serving only 8 burgers at a time.  She commands respect, and it is well earned.

Epilogue:  For those in the comments with the ridiculous notion that I was “playing for a tie”, I submit this additional photo from my last visit.  Notice just to the side of Ann is a delicious pineapple cake that she was about to cut for my dessert.  Adding it to the burger, plate of fries, and my signature 2 diet cokes is not for the faint of heart, but it was damn good.  As you would expect it to be.

Also, a protip: Ann opens at 11:00am Monday thru Saturday.  If you don’t want to wait, I strongly suggest you arrive about 10:50.  The first sitting is usually full by 11:05.  It’s worth the wait.

State Senator Jeff Mullis and State Representative Jay Neal will be holding an open office day along with representatives from the offices of US Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss.  From the Walker County Messenger:

State Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga), Rep. Jay Neal (R-LaFayette) and representatives of U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) will host an “open office day” on June 5 from 9-11 a.m. at the Walker County Civic Center and from 2-4 p.m. at the Colonnade in Catoosa County.

Residents will have an opportunity to meet with them about any issues concerning state or federal government. No appointment is required.

“As elected officials, it is important for us to get out and hear the concerns of our constituents,” Mullis said. “The open office day gives northwest Georgia residents the ability to speak directly with their state delegation in a productive way. We try to offer an open office day each year in the district for the convenience of our constituents.”

Denise Clopton will serve as the representative for Isakson, and Darren Kendall will serve as the representative for Chambliss.

State Representative Jay Neal, who will now be running for the new district 2 state house seat that covers Walker, Catoosa, and Whitfield Counties, kicked off his campaign with a fundraiser and rally yesterday evening at the Gordon Lee Mansion in downtown Chickamauga.  I had the honor of being invited to the event and was able to attend a reception that featured Congressman Tom Graves, former Falcons running back Gerald Riggs, and former Braves center fielder Otis Nixon.  Although there was rain in the forecast, the event was well-attended for a Monday after work with the threat of rain (I’d say probably around 100 or so folks were there).  All around, it was a really good event.

Here in Georgia…
- John Smoltz will speak at the Atlanta Press Club on Monday.
- Reps. John Lewis and Hank Johnson have signed onto a lawsuit to end the filibuster.
- Atlanta Public Schools approved some 500 job cuts yesterday.

National stories of interest…
- Mitt Romney is due to make a major speech about the budget deficit today in Iowa.
- Ann Romney was recently compared to Stalin and Hitler on MSNBC.
- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker leads his recall race by nine points.
- California will attempt to solve its continuing budget woes by raising taxes on the rich.
- Family Guy poked at the Tea Party on Sunday.
- FAMU’s band will remain on the sidelines for another year.
- Is the GOP having an internal debate over gay marriage?
- The Pentagon conducted a study about studies.
- You can’t buy a Coke or a pack of gum with a debit card anymore.

A few that I like…
- Gallup shows that Americans are the happiest they’ve been since 2008.
- Will the Braves resign Michael Bourn?
- National Journal provides demographics of America’s war veterans.
- Georgia Bulldogs star Aaron Murray has graduated.
- Rumor is that the iPhone 5 will be completely redesigned.
- A fatty meal hits your waist in three hours.
- Parks and Recreation has been renewed for another season.
- The USFL is making a comeback?

Congressman Ron Paul announced today that he would no longer be seeking votes in states that have yet to have their presidential preference primaries.  However, he will be working on his strategy to maximize the number of delegates in the states that have already voted and who have not elected their delegates to the national convention yet.  From the Washington Times:

Mr. Paul said he will continue to work to win delegates in states that have already voted and where the process of delegate-selection is playing out. He said that’s a way to make his voice heard at the Republican nominating convention in Tampa, Fla., in August.

“Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted,” Mr. Paul said. “Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have.”

He did encourage his supporters to still turn out and vote.

Sock puppets, have at it.

Today’s Courier Herald Column

This Friday, Republicans from across Georgia will gather in Columbus for a two day State GOP Convention. There will be a lot of speeches made, a considerable amount of mixing and mingling between elected officials and the grass roots leadership of the party, and the occasional stops within hospitality suites where those running or looking to run for office entice would be supporters with hors d’oeuvres and perhaps an adult beverage or two. Perhaps.

The official purpose of this gathering is to nominate the delegates and alternates who will represent Georgia in Tampa later this year when the Republican National Committee meets to nominate Mitt Romney, his chosen running mate, and hash out the details of the party platform. This will not take the two days allocated, and so there will be a bit of time that needs filling.

In between the speeches by most of Georgia’s Republican members of the congressional delegation and statewide elected officials, there will be resolutions offered. Providing that the resolutions committee sends to the floor one of the resolutions offered by various district conventions held last month, there will be at least one resolution asking if convention delegates agree that the Republican dominated legislature needs to get serious about offering meaningful ethics reform.

Because the nature of the convention is to project what the party stands for, and who shall stand for it, passing a meaningful and clearly worded ethics resolution must be a priority for the delegates. It should not be sanitized as a mealy mouthed statement affirming high ethical values from elected officials. It must instead embrace the reality that Georgia’s ethics laws are meaningless and unenforceable. It must demand action from the Republican elected officials who will be working the crowd of faithful Friday and Saturday.

As such, those faithful need to let their state level elected officials have an ear-full on ethics. Words should not be minced. The tone deaf approach to ethics is not what we promised when we were on the journey to becoming a majority. If the leadership of the grass roots and the party itself is silent on the issue, then we must accept the fact that ethical governance was merely sloganeering of convenience whose time has passed.

The GOP Chairman, Sue Everhart, herself ran for re-election last year on a platform of independence from the Governor and ostensibly other elected officials so that the party could remain a guiding force for Republican principles. As such, it is incumbent on her to reiterate the party’s demands that Georgia be governed according to the strongest ethics laws in the country, not the worst.

The Republican legislature has already proven incapable of self-governance. The response to a Speaker leaving under an ethical cloud was to gut the ethics commission, re-name it, and ensure that there are barely enough staff to even process required forms of self-disclosure. There are no remaining margins for initiative or investigation.

On the current ethics issue facing Senate Rules Chairman Don Balfour, the Senate Ethics Committee met in secret, only to quickly decide along the narrowest definitions of Senate Rules that they did not have the jurisdiction to handle the complaint before them. Yet instead of then referring the complaint to a body that does have jurisdiction such as Georgia’s Attorney General, they chose to “continue” the meeting so as to not have to act on the complaint before them, nor let anyone else. They are, instead, “investigating” a complaint that they have already voted they do not have jurisdiction to handle. That, currently, is how we deal with ethics in Republican controlled Georgia Government.

Republicans will hear a lot of speeches Friday and Saturday. Many will deal with how the President of another party must be removed so that order can be restored to the government in Washington D.C.

The speeches that we need to hear in Columbus, however, have to do with how we deal – and don’t deal – with ethical transgressions of government and abuse of power here at home.

Republicans have a chance at their gathering this weekend to firmly and clearly say where they stand on the need for ethics reform for Georgia’s government. Failure to say anything will be the loudest statement possible to condone the status quo, and the pattern of practices for ethical failure that has become commonplace in this Republican Georgia.

…because Filipino Tilt-A-Whirl operators are this nation’s backbone.

Tuesday through Friday of last week we asked readers to text their opinions on the upcoming regional T-SPLOSTs.  Our final results are in, and are as follows:

No – 51.40%

Yes – 46.36%

Und – 2.24%

Make of the results what you will in the comments section below.

Even Norm Gets Emotional When Talking About The "Best Peach Pundit Roadshow Ever"

In case you have forgotten already, the Peach Pundit Roadshow hits up Columbus this Friday at The LOFT’s Green Room at 1032 Broadway, Columbus, GA.  We’ll be there from around 6p until 9:30~ish. After then, who knows.  There’s normally a cover charge, but we’ve taken care of that for you as long as you say you’re there for the Roadshow.

Mark believes this could be the “best Peach Pundit Roadshow ever.”  I believe it could be as well.  Don’t disappoint Mark and make him cry in the Guinness you’re buying him (expect to buy Charlie a beer too, but don’t expect him to shed tears over anything).  Come on out and meet the cast of characters from the front page, some of your favorite (and not so favorite) commenters, and general spectators.  Heck, there may be even an elected official or two who may drop by and say hello.

As always, we look forward to seeing most of you.  Others, not so much.

::UPDATE::  Buzz mentioned in the comments that it’s best to arrive early because there may be a “special guest” who drops in for a visit.  Not sure who the “special guest” is, but hopefully someone other than Buzz…not to say Buzz isn’t special, of course.

Good morning. On this day in 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention began assembling in Philadelphia. In 1804, Lewis & Clark left St. Louis to begin their expedition, and in 1864 the Battle of Resaca began in NW Georgia.

Georgia News Of Interest

Today you can drive on the shoulder on 400 if you want to.

GPB News: Rural Post Offices Face Reduced Hours

Fulton Science Academy was turned down by the State School Board and my try to go private. Ivy Prep meanwhile, received a two year charter from the State.

Science scores of Georgia’s students are improving.

Maureen Downey posts a column by a recent Cross Keys High School graduate who urges students to “be more responsible for their learning.”

Did Paine College use federal funds meant for students to pay other bills?

Gwinnett resident Paula Hastings offers another view of the Airport Privatization Review Committee’s vote to oppose commercial flights at Briscoe Field.

Atlanta Forward points us to two opinions on lobbyists. Don McAdam says the “mere perception of a conflict is doing great damage to the integrity of our legislative process” while Jet Toney says “The presence of professional advocates on several sides of each issue assures a thorough and healthy debate.”

Maria Saporta remembers a time when “Atlanta stood for something.”

National/International News Of Interest

Newsweek declares President Obama “the first gay President.” Since Clinton was our first “black President” I suppose Obama needs something to be remembered for.

Meanwhile the allegation that Romney bullied a gay classmate in high school has some factual problems.

Channeling Bill Clinton, John Edwards’ defense relies on the legal definition of “the.”

Gernman Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party suffered a large electoral defeat this weekend. Apparently austerity isn’t cool in Europe anymore. Jim Galloway notes that austerity as a political philosophy is a tough sell and quotes Congressman Rob Woodall on his advice at how to convince voters it’s the way to a brighter future.

Is the Ted Cruz v David Dewhurst Senate race in Texas the next place the TEA Party will flex it’s muscles?

Governor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown was shocked to learn California’s budget deficit has grown from $9 billion in January to $16 billion today. If voters approve his plan to raise sales taxes and place a surcharge on the rich he won’t have to make massive budget cuts. I wonder what Jon Lovitz will say about that (language warning)?

180,000 non-citizens registered to vote in Florida?

Other News Of Interest

The Hawks lost in the first round of the playoffs. Is that really news?

The Braves swept the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Julio Tehran led the Gwinnett Braves to their fourth straight win Saturday. Sunday’s game at Coolray Field was rained out. The GBraves still lead the International League South by 4.5 games and own the second best record in the IL.

Tech Alum Matt Kuchar won the The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass yesterday.

Aimee Copeland, the Georgia woman battling a flesh eating bacteria, will likely lose her fingers. She remains in critical condition.

At an ALEC Conference I attended Friday in Charlotte (yes protesters were there), I heard a presentation on how cloud computing can benefit State and Local governments. Cue the reflexive opposition to this idea in 3,2,1…

UPDATE: Here’s the latest Incumbent/Challenger sheets for the House and Senate.

Eight years ago, a hot button issue was whether or not there should be an amendment to the US Constitution defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. Georgia and a number of other states in the Union have made amendments to their respective state constitutions to define marriage as such. There are a few states, on the other hand, that have made gay marriage legal.

A day after the voters in North Carolina adopted a constitutional amendment to define marriage, President Barack Obama “responded” to Vice President Joe Biden’s comment about same-sex marriage and endorsed the idea. I believe Obama is an intelligent and astute politician. He won’t let a good distraction go to waste. I don’t believe Biden’s comments were planned by the White House, but I do believe Obama’s response was a fly ball hit into outfield during a day game in hopes that the outfielders would be distracted by the sun and let it drop for a base hit….maybe a double.

What do I mean by the baseball reference? Think about this: unemployment is still high, the economy is seemingly stalled, gas prices are much higher than they were when Obama took office, debt has been accumulating faster than the speed of light, he has spent more in his 3 years in office than his predecessors combined, and the Republicans have a decent chance of winning back the legislative branch. What better way to keep conservatives’ eyes off of the ball than to distract them with a less-pressing, but very controversial, social question?

Essentially, he has nothing to lose in this matter. I surmise that Obama figures that he won’t be getting a lot of the conservative Democrats’ vote. They may vote for Romney, skip that office on the ballot, or just stay home on election day. If I were to make a guess, it would be that this move is mainly to energize the young voters who have been turned off by Obama in recent months and hopefully get them out to the polls to re-elect the “hip, young, cool” President. Of course, Hollywood is agog to hear that Obama has flip-flopped “evolved” into a vogue “progressive” opinion on this matter.

Some may and probably do disagree with me, but I believe we have many more important issues to be concerned about rather than trying to elevate this issue about gay marriage to a federal issue (heck, I think even Obama agrees that it’s something that should be decided at the state level…I just hope he maintains that position).

To my fellow conservatives, keep your eye on the ball.  Keep your shades on when trying to catch that pop-up fly ball.

Tom Crawford via Jim Galloway is reporting that George Hooks has decided to retire rather than compete against fellow Democrat Freddie Powell Simms.

Hooks’ future was the subject of much speculation during Sine Die, and even those close to him were someone confused as to the interpretation of his remarks on the last day of the 2012 General Assembly as to whether he planned to return as a Senator.  He has now removed any doubt.

“I’ve got 32 years up there,” Hooks said in a phone interview Friday. “I’ve been floor leader, rules chairman, appropriations chairman, involved in designing the new state flag. It’s been a good run.”

Hooks’ Senate District 14 in southwest Georgia was a victim of stagnant population growth and was eliminated during the reapportionment process last year.

“When I saw the census figures – every county I represented lost population,” Hooks said. “I had nowhere to turn.”

Hooks was the “Dean of the Senate”.  Others will no doubt soon tell in the comments section who that title will now fall upon.

There’s a lot of ground to cover between now and 2017 when power is finally projected to be generated from Votgle 3 & 4.  And, apparently, still a lot of costs to be worked out.  Rob Pavey of the Augusta Chronicle brings word that there’s a small disagreement between Southern Company and those building the plant of a not inconsequential $900 Million.

In a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Southern Company — whose subsidiary Georgia Power owns 45.7 percent of the Vogtle nuclear project — said it “has not agreed” to adjustments proposed by the the contractor consortium that includes Westinghouse and Stone & Webster, Inc.

The company and Vogtle co-owners Oglethorpe Power (30 percent), Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (22.7 percent) and Dalton Utilities (1 percent) also dispute whether the owners are even responsible for those added costs, which would amount to $400 million.

“The Consortium’s estimated adjustment attributable to Georgia Power (based on Georgia Power’s ownership interest) is approximately $400 million (in 2008 dollars) with respect to these issues, which include an initial estimate of costs for efforts to maintain the projected in-service dates of 2016 and 2017 for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4,” the company wrote.

Ah, the magic of change orders.  And to think, there’s only 4 years or so left for these to pop up.

Today’s Courier Herald Column:

At the root of politics is family.  After all, any dubious bill proposed to the legislature can gain instant credibility by the claim “it’s for the children.”  And without children, there is no family.  That’s why as a childless man I still sit at the kid’s table at Thanksgiving.  It’s a subtle reminder.

This week is all about family in my world.  Last Sunday was the 65^th installment of the Benjamin Franklin Harper Reunion.  This Sunday will be mother’s day.  Most quotas for family visiting time for the month will be met by Sunday evening.  Mom will probably still let me know I don’t call enough.  She will still be right, as she always is.

Big Ben was my grandfather’s grandfather.  He had 11 children, including my great grandfather Robert Frank Harper.  Robert’s home was adjacent to the rail line just outside of Fairburn Georgia.  He gave credit for his 21 children to the 5:15am train.  Said it was too early to get up, and too late to go back to sleep.

My grandfather was the last of those 21.  Had he decided that 20 was a quite reasonable number of children to have, you would be reading something else right now. 

The descendants of Benjamin Franklin Harper have been gathering at our family church on the first Sunday of May for 65 years.  The reunion was the brainchild of my grandfather and a couple of his cousins, who lamented that they only saw each other at funerals and needed a happier occasion to reconnect on a regular basis.

As a child, I remember attendance being much more than our church fellowship hall would hold, but a lot of us preferred to eat outside anyway.  Those crowds of 200+ have dwindled down to slightly less than 100 for the past few years, as there are fewer of us left who really knew the generation that started the tradition.

Those of us who carry on do so in order to honor those who gathered to honor them.  It’s a semi formal affair, not by our attire which is quite casual despite the church setting but by the fact that there are officers, minutes of the meeting, and a treasury.  We’ve gotten quite casual about many of those items too, as our officer elections now consist of the line “Does anyone else want this job?”.  It’s the one dictatorship I can claim to have maintained for 5 years or so.

As a kid, I can’t say I appreciated the gathering much.  The deep fried covered dish fare was quite common, and there were a bunch of old people around that I barely or didn’t know.  They told stories about people I had never met.  Some of them were even Georgia Tech fans.

Over the years, I’ve gotten to know them.  I understand how they fit in the family tree, and appreciate those stories as common bonds.  They are where I’m from.  They are who I am.  And I look forward to seeing those who return every year, and genuinely miss those who do not.

One of my cousins missed this year for the first time in ages.  Ed Alvarez is a cousin from the John Hunt Harper line of cousins, and son of Grace whose wit and sense of humor put a very southern edge to the usual definition of the word.  She was fun people, and Ed is salt of the earth.  He has a few decades on me though I have no idea how old he is.  Doesn’t matter, he’s just cousin Ed.

Ed had a rough year, where he broke a hip, had quadruple by-pass a day or two after his hip replacement, and then fell during his recuperation and broke his other hip.  He’s still recovering from that one, and wasn’t able to make the trip.

We did talk during the gathering and afterward.  He missed the fried okra and ham biscuits, but missed seeing his family most of all.  We are, after all, where he’s from.  He was missed, so he’ll have to get a personal visit, which will get me a bit of extra family visitation in for the month.

In the mean time, I need to call my mom.  Sunday is her day.  Though I’m sure she already has the answer, I’ll need her thinking about whether she wants to eat in or out.  If in, I need to do some grocery shopping and finish unpacking the kitchen.  And probably put a note on the fridge to call more.

Russell Edwards announced his resignation as DPG Treasurer effective as soon as a replacement is named. He said he will focus on his nascent law practice and the Obama campaign.

The key quote from his email:

As the Treasurer, I tried to the best of my ability to ensure a more transparent financial environment.  Despite many difficulties that I encountered, I gathered and reported the information that was supplied to me or that I otherwise found.  I responded candidly to every inquiry by Committee members.  As a matter of fundamental fairness and good policy, I used my position on the Committee to strenuously advocate for immigrant rights and built bridges to the Latino and Asian communities*.

 

While I plan to maintain my position until my replacement is named to ensure as smooth a transition as possible, I would deeply appreciate an expedited selection process.

The following is a guest post from Patrick Mayer:

This weekend roughly 150,000 people from all over this nation will be drawn to Road Atlanta for Formula D. There drivers will compete against each other in a high horsepower, high adrenaline sport know as drifting. Paired off they will race each other not just on the speed in which they can finish the course, but with the highest level of accuracy and style that each driver can lay down on the track. These 150,000 fans will spend big money on hotels, restaurants, and entertainment here. While this will be held on a racetrack with professional, six weekends a year the amateurs get together, rent the Turner Field Blue Lot, and try to see what it feels like to harness the power and skills like the pros.

But, it looks as though the Atlanta City Council does not want this to happen anymore. They are content with telling the 500 to 2000 people that regularly attend each of these six events that their are no longer welcome to buy permits, pay EMS and Police, and spend their money at the local hotels and restaurants because of “excessive noise”.

This “excessive noise” has been documented in a residential driveway bordering the Blue Lot at 73db during a very loud tandem run.

Fun facts 1: The loudest cat in the world purrs at this level, standard city traffic is usually measured around 80db, and fireworks displays (much like the ones held on Friday’s at the Ted) run around 120db.

Fun Facts 2: Even with drifting being banned by a city ordinance, there are going to be 9 SCCA events in the same lot up until November.

Not only do these events bring the 18-35 year old crowd that the local restaurants crave, but it also allows these drivers a controlled environment to practice and compete. The Turner Blue Lot is a certified and insured racetrack. This inexpensive and local venue is just what Atlanta needs when it is not being used for Braves parking.

Mr. Mayor, we in the automotive community here in Atlanta urge you to veto this ordinance. It does nothing to improve the schools, transportation problems, or the crime rate in Atlanta. It is just another way of saying “we don’t want people to come into Atlanta and have fun. Go spend your money somewhere else.

Is this really the message you want to spread?

Currently there are 9,000 people on Facebook that believe this is what you are saying, and there are over 6,800 people that have signed a petition saying the same thing. While these may not be City of Atlanta voters, motor sports enthusiensts have deep pockets and have a pretty good history of voting here in Georgia.

You can either allow Atlanta to be the city that continues to push people people away, or you can be the Mayor that decided it was a good idea to bring people into the city to spend their money, create great memories, and go away knowing that when they come back, they will bring more people.

At least it is more entertaining than a bunch of dirty hippies hanging out in park that required police protection…

Photo Credit MotoIQ.com

The T-SPLOST text poll sponsored by the Atlanta TEA Party and Peach Pundit has been running a poll this week regarding your opinions on the T-SPLOST.  Voting ends at 3:00pm today.

Preliminary results are as follows:

No – 53.8%

Yes – 43.2%

Und – 2.8%

The poll registeres one vote per phone number.  One phone; One Vote.

To register your opinion (once) on the upcoming T-SPLOST initiative, just text TPPP to 28748.

You will then be asked to indicate if you support the T-SPLOST with a 1) No 2) Yes or 3) Undecided response.

Standard text messaging rates apply.

We’ll post final results either late today or..later depending on how soon it becomes 5:00.  After all, it’s Friday, and I’m not hanging around to get caught in afternoon traffic.

In Georgia:

The Perspicacious Conservative has some back story on the primary challenge of Chip Rogers by Brandon Beach.  She’s looking at you John Albers.

The 1% ers at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are backing John Barrow in his re-election bid.

Fulton County Schools becomes the largest Charter School System in the state.

Kasim Reed doesn’t appear ready to evolve on gay marriage.

Gwinnett County doesn’t believe you need more than one shade of Grey.

Kyle Wingfield wonders if taxpayers are about to buy a new stadium at the peak of the NFL’s earning power.  Anyone else here buy a state of the art mcmansion in 2007?  How’s that working out for you?

Across The Nation:

Speaking of 2007 all over again, JPMorgan Chase lost $2 Billion this quarter on their trading desks.  CEO Jamie Diamon responds “I got your ‘too big to fail’ right here.”

Courtesy of your bailout money, subprime bonds have value again.

Inflation is a problem.  In China.  Here, not so much.

And For Randomness:

Those Fisker Karma’s that taxpayers subsidized so a few Americans can buy $100K electric cars made in Europe?  They’re not selling so well, but those that are are HOT.

Our friends at Creative Loafing give you 5 things to do today just in case you just now realized it’s Friday and you didn’t plan for crap this weekend. **shakes head, looks in mirror**