Civic Center act was a bomb

For years I wondered why the Columbus Civic Center never had any big name acts. After attending the Chris Stapleton concert I know why.

The Civic Center can't handle crowds larger than the 2,000 they get for Cottonmouths games. They are in no way prepared for a crowd of 10,000 or so, and should stop booking acts of any popularity immediately.

When we arrived at 6:40 for a 7:00 show, we had to get in line halfway around the building and waited almost an hour just to get in. The Civic Center only has one entrance open, and all customers have to go through security there. Worst part was they had had 5, yes 5, security personnel checking bags and scanning customers for metal. That's 2,000 customers for each security guard!

When we finally got to our seats we got to hear one Maren Morris song. We love Maren Morris, and were very disappointed we didn't get to hear more. Why would you let the opening act start when half the paying customers are still in the parking lot?

We decided we better get a drink and something to eat. I stood in the incredibly long beer line while my wife went to the food concession. After over 20 minutes, my buddy and I got in the mixed drink line where two frustrated servers went through the list of all the items — including ice — they were already out of, before the main act had even taken the stage. My wife showed up to let us know that the hamburger stand was out of everything except fries.

Needless to say, this is our last Civic Center concert, and I'm sure from all the complaints we heard while standing in line almost 2 hours total, we are not alone.

Moral message

No child should suffer the atrocities as we are seeing around the world. Our precious children in their innocence must be protected in deed, not just words. The inspiring moral message sent by President Trump is to all who would disrespect the future of humanity in God's world.

Action speaks louder than words. There is no amount of "tone" in rhetoric that can breach the protective walls we place around moral behavior.

God is always available to side with proper behavior and attitude in the treatment of our children ... our living and breathing future.

We ‘save,’ they die

Drew Ferguson, former mayor of West Point, is my Congressman.

His recent letter to me stated: "I believe we must repeal the ACA and work through the process of building an American health care system that puts patients first."

He also states that the disastrous AHCA (the GOP replacement bill) would provide "880 billion in critical savings to the Medicaid program."

What he does not say is that people without means will be without insurance due to these supposed "savings." We could "save" 4% of our GNP if we eliminated our military. But that would be ridiculous; both costs and benefits need to be calculated.

As shown in the latest Gallup poll, 52% of Americans support the ACA (Obamacare). The ill-fated GOP replacement bill, the AHCA, was going to throw 24 million people back into the uninsured pool, per the nonpartisan CBO. And, give those making over $250,000 annually a tax break worth $600 billion.

Repealing the ACA without a decent replacement is putting patients last and politics first.

Cruel ‘business’

The city of Dothan, Alabama, is a mere 20 miles west of the Georgia border. This little city was recently in the news because of a puppy mill bust which netted 65 dogs and puppies. Police Chief Steve Parrish stated it was the worst case of animal cruelty he had ever seen.

What employees of national animal welfare organizations, such as the ASPCA and HSUS, see on a regular basis often comes as a shock to local government officials all across America. Apparently this puppy mill had been in operation for over two years. The bust was the result of an anonymous tip.

Reputable dog breeders sell directly to consumers who sign a contract promising to return the puppy if they don’t want her anymore. Disreputable puppy mills sell to retail pet stores and will have nothing to do with the dog once she is sold.

It is local governments that get stuck with the bill in a puppy mill bust. These are not healthy animals, so besides lodging and food, they also pay for emergency vet care for these very sick and neglected animals. For this reason, more and more municipalities are enacting ordinances to ban the sale of puppies through retail stores and other venues.

Puppy sales are a lucrative revenue stream, as evidenced by the number of lobbyists at the Georgia Statehouse over the last two weeks of the legislative session. They were attempting to attach the remnants of HB 144 to another bill that made it to the Senate. This bill would have prohibited local governments from enacting ordinances to limit the sale of puppies.

Fortunately, they didn’t succeed, giving the Columbus Council an opportunity to join with other cities and counties who have banned this despicable business activity.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Civic Center act was a bomb."