Comments from our readers:

RAVES TO MICHELLE OBAMA! I was extremely proud of her and the wonderful way she brought her message about family values, community activism, love of country and love of fellow man to the American people.

IF YOU ARE GOING to slow down the cars, you should slow down the school buses. I have seen them do 60 mph on Tobacco Road when they leave Cross Creek High School.

A HUGE RANT for the city of Augusta and Mayor Deke Copenhaver. With all the homeless there are here in Augusta, why don't you use all that energy you have on finding ways to take care of them instead of building a sports stadium?

I'M A 62-YEAR-OLD black man. I've lived through lynchings, riots, the assassination of Martin Luther King and Medgar Evers, the Birmingham bombings. I've seen so much in my lifetime, but for the first time in my life, I'm proud to be an American.

BELATED THANK YOU to Tony, who found my daughter's checkbook outside of PetsMart at the Augusta Exchange.

A RAVE FOR MICHELLE OBAMA'S opening night speech at the Democratic Convention. It was excellent, and she was terrific.

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW how much crosswalk signs cost. I work downtown, and they're all a waste of money, at least on Greene Street, because everyone ignores them.

A RANT TO THE PERSON who said a 72-year-old surgeon was too old to operate and a 72-year-old was too old to be president. I'll take the 72-year-old surgeon with years of experience over the 45-year-old one with only three years' experience any day. The same holds true for the president.

FINALLY, COLUMBIA COUNTY'S catching up with Harlem. We've had curbside recycling for over 10 years. I'm really excited to see the rest of Columbia County joining in.