January 1, 2011 Happy New Year

Trying to muster the energy to take the Christmas tree and the decorations down and back to the basement until next December. I am really enjoying the time away from the hustle and traffic of metropolitan Atlanta. I had a friend who wanted me to go to Phipps Plaza the week before Christmas. I said "only if you have a gun." Buckhead rush hour traffic is as close to the River of Hades as I want to be. Looking back at 2010 and think of all the changes we've seen. A new gourmet coffee shop, another pizza restaurant opening, a great 150th anniversary celebration for our town. We lost some of the dearest people many of us have ever known. Sue Allen left us in April and her soulmate Ray died during the summer. He never got over Sue's passing. I think his grief sped up his departure he loved her so much. Ray and Sue were wonderful people. 2010 will be remembered by many for the dirtiest political campaigns Georgia has ever seen. It will be a year that marked a revival of the electorate who are mad and not gonna take it no more. The legislature convenes in a few days and I hope our elected folks going to Atlanta realize that we are watching. I see 2011 as a year for continued growth for Haralson County Schools. Our school superentendent is a class act who will keep the scores going up on the academic scoreboard. I salute the teachers and staff of our system. Bremen brags on their system, but Haralson County has a lot to crow about. I am hoping that the House and Senate in Washington will get off its collective behinds and get some things done to bring stability to the economy and jobs for people. Outsourcing shouldn't be an option. It seems that everytime I have problems with my satellite provider I am talking to someone in the Phillippines. Last time I flew I made the reservation with someone in Mumbai. Next time I fly will be on AirTran and I'll be calling their reservation center in Carrollton and talking to someone who can understand my accent. I am hoping that America will get a spirit of corporate accountability. Bernie Madoff can't stay in jail long enough to suit me. I have a friend who worked for CNN that lost her million dollar retirement nest egg to Madoff. I see another great year for Tallapoosa. Mayor Bridges, city manager Phillip Eidson, and city employees have done a great job in keeping Tallapoosa a great town to live in and be from. We've had a great Christmas and here's to a great 2011 to each of you. Here's to a Happy New Year for our hometown.

Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native and a member of the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame and the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. Comments are welcome at rhubarbjones@aol.com or at P.O. Box Tallapoosa, GA 30176. Previous columns can be read at www.tallapoosa-journal.com