Fluffy v. Dull

It's a titanic battle of epic proportions when the Commercial Appeal's marquee columnist Wendi Thomas takes on City Councillor and would-be Mayor Carol Chumney. All that crashing glass you hear is just proof of the warning your momma gave you as a child: People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Chumney mugged for the cameras about child daycare safety. With all the wit she's reknown for, Thomas tries to show up Chumney. I won't bother wasting pixels with any quotes. You don't wanna know.

Problem is, Thomas works for the Commercial Appeal, which put its own iron into this fire with Amber's Army, launched with great fanfare after the death of Amber Cox-Cody. It was supposed to be the beginning of The Great Crusade to stop future deaths like Amber's. It was the Commercial Appeal's great move from sitting on the sidelines to community activism.

Except the site hasn't been updated since August, 2003. The crusade has been abandoned.

Oops.

Thomas mentions poor Amber, but not a word about Amber's Army. Does she even remember? Will someone point out to her how foolish this makes her? Will she even care?

Don't bother tuning in because we all already know the answer. Really, girlfriend, you shoulda listened to your momma.

Besides, calling Chumney on grandstanding is like saying night follows day, or dogs will bite sometimes. Anyone who has paid any attention to her knows she wants to be Mayor one day and is working the news media to keep her face out there. It's working, in that you hear callers to local talk radio talk approvingly of Chumney's image. But she has all the charm of a high-school grind. That's the kid who exists solely to get good grades and acceptance to a good college. They always have their homework done; always get the nod from the teacher; belong to the "right" clubs; always have the right answer. And they're dull as dirt. If they've ever had a good time, you can't tell from looking at them.

Wendi Thomas opines the usual miss-the-point piousness about lying, cheating, kid-ignoring day care workers. Step back a minute and think about it, though. People who have made poor life choices need bailing out. They can't afford to pay what day care is really worth, so cost corners must be cut by holding down payroll (and by using State subsidies). Day care workers are paid slightly more than minimum wage as a result. They have the same attitude you see with most public-service minimum wage / low wage workers. The solution, if you can call it that, is to pay workers a lot more so you can get a class of people you can expect to be held to account.

But that's not going to happen. There is no money for it.

And so here we are.