It has now been 49 days since I mailed my inquiry on teacher retirement to the State Merit System. So much for prompt service from those public servants! I have forwarded a copy my inquiry to State Congressman Stallings, hoping that he can expedite answers to my two questions. For those of you that may have missed a previous column, the two questions I have for State Merit are these: (1) Since teachers don’t begin receiving interest on their contributions to retirement until the end of their contract year, who holds their monthly deductions until that time? This implies "who is earning interest on MY money?" (2) How is it that this retirement program escapes the federal laws regarding employees "vestment" of employers contributions to a retirement plan over a set period of years? In spite of the delay, it would indeed be a breath of fresh air to receive a direct reply to the questions instead of a political run-around! We can all keep our fingers crossed, hope against hope!

It was my pleasure to introduce my Daughter, her Husband, and my Granddaughter to Carrollton and Atlanta over the Labor Day weekend. They live in the city of Chicago and thrive on big city life. Several things here impressed them. Our roads are generally smooth. They commented that here in Carrollton the roads are so wide with so little traffic… They asked about housing prices, and I showed them several homes in the range of $100,000 to $150,000. They indicated that the same homes where they live would run from a quarter million to a half million dollars. Talking about property taxes, they said that owners of a home priced at $150,000 would pay $4,000 to $6,000 a year… Gasoline is running close to $1.50 a gallon for regular in Chicago. Do we have a deal or what?

I wanted to introduce them to my favorite local cuisine, so we had wonderful lunch at The Corner Café and then dinner at The Border Mexican Restaurant, where owner Napoleon Vela was especially gracious. With all to choose from in Chicago, they came away impressed! I then took them on a tour of the university campus and they were again impressed with the facility, and they took special note of the landscaping.

The only downside to their visit was the Holiday Inn Express. Credit Cards… Believe me, I’ve been there, done that. After securing their room with a credit card, I chose to pay with a local check. On checking out, the desk clerk told me that that they didn’t accept a check, unless you are a member of the "Inner Circle" or something like that. I said, "I live here, this check is from West Georgia National Bank!" He went behind the counter to check with his manager Steve Redolfi, as I stood waiting. Shortly he returned, only to tell me "sorry." It will be a cold day in Carrollton before I return to, or recommend the Holiday Inn to any friends!

Until next time, Shalom! Hopefully, maybe, possibly, we’ll have some answers from State Merit. Remember to keep your fingers crossed and kick butt in the state offices if you have any connections, as obviously I don’t…