THIS IS A RANT to the nosey, silly-acting bell ringer standing outside of Kroger in North Augusta when I found some poor woman's purse. I was trying to see whether there was an address in the purse so I could take it to her, but I decided to take it to management in the store in case she came back looking for it. I have my own money.

If I wanted it, I could have easily taken it and never been caught. Stop being so judgmental and learn what you're talking about. The woman will get her purse because management put it into the safe, and I will sleep with a clear mind. Merry Christmas!

RAVES TO AIKEN for waiting until late November to put up downtown Christmas decorations. Augusta jumped the gun and started its in early October.

THE AIKEN COUNTY school superintendent visits schools. How nice. Apparently, her visits "have been about putting instruction first." What else was first till she showed up? Isn't instruction what schools exist for? Her visits have "kept the district more focused than in the past."

Again, what did schools do before? Focus on something other than teaching? Not focus at all? This woman, a county employee, has an assistant superintendent for administration and her own cabinet. Public education certainly is getting hifalutin. Wonder what her salary is?

So the Governor of Illinois is now locked up. Good. That's step one. The next step is to lock up all the remaining top politicians in America. With them in charge, we're sinking, so we have nothing to lose by doing that. Of course, the politicians are against finding themselves locked up, so they'll keep right on using our power and our money in their criminal enterprises.

REMEMBER, BOARDS of Education are politicians, too; and they all learn from one another, like Gov. Jailbird Whatzis of Illinois. According to a news story ("District honors records request"), the Aiken board spends some taxpayer money for "catering, traveling, and training." 1. If school teachers, et al., need any more training, how did they get hired in the first place? 2. If they have to travel, it's to "conferences," and those always seem to end up in resorts. 3. Catering?